Chains
by Aureillia
Summary: AU: The road to love has never been a smooth one. It is cruel. It is unpredictable. When the lives of eight individuals are unexpectedly thrown together, they must face the consequences of their past decisions and mend the bonds that were broken - Poke/Contest/Ikari/LeafGreen
1. Prologue

_**Chains**_

_Prologue_

A twenty-two year old woman leaned against the railing, closing her eyes and taking in a deep breath of salty sea air. The wind gently caressed her cheeks, flowing softly through the flaming curls that spilled down her back. The ocean truly was the most calming place in the world, she thought. The rhythmic rocking of the boat in harmony with the crashing of waves against its side soothed her, spraying small flickers of water onto the deck every so often. Overhead, seagulls cawed, circling in the hope of coming across scraps of food from passengers.

"I can't believe you talked me into this."

The voice, despite it's low volume, was harsh and irritated; so unlike her beloved ocean. It cut straight through her trance. The girl took one last breath, allowing the familiar scent she loved so much to course through her body before acknowledging the man who held no appreciation for the beauty of nature. She didn't bother opening her eyes.

"Stop complaining. You're the one who said that you didn't want to stay in Sinnoh," she retorted. It didn't come out sharp; she knew he wasn't spiteful.

"I might not want to stick around here for much longer, either. Unhappy marriages often result in murder, you know." She didn't need to look at him to see the smirk gracing his lips.

"Not all of us resolve to violence to get our way, Paul," she playfully jibed.

He scoffed. "That's rich coming from you, Misty."

Misty laughed, opening her eyes and turning to face him. Just as she predicted, his mouth was curved into it's usual smirk. Her expression shifted to one of mock-surprise, a finger innocently pointing towards herself in false confusion.

"Violent, moi?" She added a gasp for effect. "I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about."

He allowed a rare chuckle to escape his lips. "Need I remind you of the mallet currently stored underneath your pillow?"

Misty grinned. "Touche."

Paul's smirk faded, a serious look taking over his features. "You don't love him."

She immediately lost the grin, all playfulness now well and truly gone. Her mouth opened in retaliation, but she closed it once more. It was pointless to argue with him. Instead, she turned back to face the ocean.

"Don't pretend you don't know, Misty. You know perfectly well who I'm referring to. You don't love him,'' Paul repeated.

"I know," she said quietly.

"Then why are you doing this to yourself?" Paul demanded. She didn't say anything. "_Misty_."

She gripped the railing tighter. Now was not the time for this conversation; it never would be. They'd been over it a million times already and she was sure they'd probably have it again a million more, but that never made talking about it any easier. She continued to stare out at the peaceful horizon, where the sea met a perfect canvas of a sunset sky, and he sighed.

"Just because he moved on it doesn't mean you need to marry someone you hate," Paul pointed out. Misty took another deep breath, but the salty air wasn't as comforting as before. It did nothing to soothe the ache in her head, nor the pang of her heart.

"I don't hate him," Misty replied quietly.

"You don't love him, either." It wasn't a question.

"I can try."

Paul resisted the urge to scoff. Her words, although admittedly truthful, were far too easy to see through. She hadn't been able to gain a proper grasp on her heart in so long, let alone be capable of completely giving it to another man. Instead, he followed her lead and took in a deep breath of air, cringing at the overpowering saltiness that invaded his senses. Really, how she could find this pleasant was incomprehensible to him.

"Have you even spoken to Dawn?" Misty interrupted, and his eyes grew hard.

"I've told you before not to mention that name," Paul snapped, lips forming into a tight line.

She rolled her eyes; he really could be such a child. "Pretending like it never happened won't solve anything," Misty mimicked, satisfaction flowing through her as the sound of gritting teeth made it's way to her ears.

"That's none of your business." She resisted the urge to scoff; talking about Dawn always made him like this.

"Neither is my personal life, nor are my decisions," Misty stated.

"That's different," Paul insisted.

"How?" Misty challenged, knowing that anything he had to say wouldn't be logical. Trying to push her into making a decision, despite how pure his intentions may be, was no different to anything she was saying. The one and only contrast was that he wasn't hanging onto a past love.

"You're signing yourself up for a life of emptiness," Paul told her, anger subsided slightly. "Marrying Rudy won't make you happy."

She stayed silent for a moment. "Paul..."

"You know that I'm right," Paul went on, not bothering to wait for her to reply, "Rudy will give you a life, but it won't make you happy. He can love you, sure. But you can't love him. This will ruin you."

"It's the only way to get over him," Misty whispered, barely loud enough for him to hear.

Paul gave up, knowing that there was no changing her mind. If he pushed the matter any further she'd start crying, and he couldn't deal with that. Whenever girls cried it never ended well for him.

"Paul?" Her quiet voice cut off his train of thought. "Thank you." He didn't say anything. He didn't need to.

"I'm going to back to try and build a new life," Misty continued, "do you think that you can try, too?"

Once again, he didn't say anything. Not because he didn't need to, but this time because he didn't know if he could.

* * *

_Three years earlier..._

May eyed her stomach in the mirror, gently running her hand across the almost non-existent bump.

It was almost unbelievable, and if not for the events that had taken place barely a month ago she'd call it impossible herself. How could she have been so foolish? Pulling her top back down, May held back the tears that threatened to escape. What had she been thinking? Her actions had not only caused her to lose the one person in her life that meant everything to her, but she'd also made him hate her. God, what must Drew think of her now? Drew...

More tears built up in her eyes, and May was about to let go of the facade she'd been putting up for weeks and break down when she heard the door creak open. She quickly composed herself, whirling back to face the mirror and pretended to fix her hair.

"May?"

"Come in," she croaked, cursing herself for not being able to be stronger. A man entered the room, smiling upon seeing her. He didn't notice that she was breaking. He never did.

"Hey," Brendan greeted gently, pausing at the door.

"I thought you were shopping?" May asked, careful to mask her crackly tone.

"I was just leaving, but there's something I wanted to ask you." He nervously fidgeted with the hem of his shirt, and she turned to face him in confusion. "It will only take a moment," Brendan informed her quickly, and began to make his way over to where she was standing.

"Is everything okay?" May inquired, curious as to what he wanted to ask.

"Don't stress, nothing is wrong. How are you feeling?" He frowned slightly, and she let out a small laugh.

"You worry too much. Really, Brendan, I'm fine," she assured him, feeling guilty as he visibly relaxed.

"Only because I care about you," he replied, smiling at her gently.

He cared for her. Her cared for her so, so much. Too much. It wasn't as if May didn't appreciate that fact, and it wasn't as if she didn't like him. Ironically, this only made her feel worse. Brendan genuinely had feelings for her, he'd made that quite clear. That wasn't the problem, though. No; the problem was that she couldn't return those feelings no matter how hard she tried.

"What did you want to ask?" May questioned, desperately wanting for him to leave before the waterworks sprang. She didn't know how much longer she'd be able to contain her emotions, and she didn't want Brendan around when the release finally happened.

"Oh, right..." Brendan trailed off, taking a deep breath.

"Are you alright, Brendan?"

He nodded his head immediately. "Yeah, I'm fine! Just... Don't say anything until I'm done, okay?" May tiled her head in confusion, opening her mouth to speak before he cut her off, "promise me that you won't speak until I finish."

Confusion increasing by his words, May simply nodded.

"Okay, here goes nothing," Brendan muttered. "May. You already know how I feel about you. You also know that I stepped back when you were with Drew because I wanted you to be happy." She flinched at the mention of Drew. "He made you happy. That's all I ever wanted for you."

"Where are you-"

"You promised," Brendan reminded her, and May closed her mouth once again. "As I was saying, all I ever wanted was for you to be happy. He gave that you. But... things have changed."

Before May could process his words, Brendan was kneeling before her, a velvet box held out in one hand. Her breath hitched in her throat as he reached up to grasp the lid, and she gasped as a diamond ring was revealed.

"You can't do this alone, May. The baby will need a father, and you're going to need support. I can do that. This baby isn't mine and I won't pretend that it is. I can live with that. " He swallowed, pausing momentarily as if to gauge her reaction before continuing, "May, if you'll allow it, I'll treat it as if it were my own. I'll love it as much as I love you. Please, May... Just give me a chance, and I will prove to you that this will be worth it."

"Brendan..."

"I can make you happy, May. I may not be your first choice, but I can give you and your baby the life that you both deserve."

He was right. She didn't love him, and she wasn't sure that she ever could. But Brendan could also provide her with everything that she needed, and she definitely couldn't do this alone. Dawn couldn't be relied upon for everything. He'd love her, and if she said yes then that was good enough for him. Maybe in time she could find it in her to love him in return. He was wrong about one thing, though; she didn't deserve him.

"Okay," May whispered.

She didn't know what else to say, but at least now she had an excuse to cry.

_Present day..._

May eyed her stomach in the mirror, gently running her hand across the flat surface.

A pair of strong arms suddenly wrapped around her waist, causing her to yelp in surprise. Brendan gave a throaty chuckle, kissing her on the cheek before looking into the mirror and frowning slightly. May avoided his gaze, already knowing what he was thinking.

"You're doing it again."

She didn't respond. He sighed, tightening his arms around her waist as if it could protect her from the dangers that were reality. May lightly placed her hands over his arms; not pushing him off, but not pulling him closer, either.

"May..." Brendan trailed off, not wanting to make her more upset than she already was.

"I can't help it, Brendan."

"I know," he replied, giving her a sad smile. Three years. It had been three years and she still couldn't get it out of her mind. She still couldn't let it go. "We moved to Kanto because you wanted to build a new life and leave everything else behind us, and that's what we're going to do."

She gazed at him through the mirror, her face expressionless, "I'm sorry. I'm trying. Really, I am. It's just..."

"It's just not easy to forget," Brendan finished, and she nodded. Her lips curled into a small smile. It wasn't real, but he didn't need to know that. "Are you sure that you're ready for this? Is it really what you want?"

A wave of guilt immediately coursed through her. He was so understanding, so forgiving, so perfect. And yet she still couldn't bring herself to love him. May cared for him, truly, she did. But even after three years she could still not find it in herself to be able to manifest any form of love deeper than that of gratefulness. She'd thought that it wouldn't be hard. May was sure she'd be able to forget and move on with her life.

Brendan had done so much for her. He'd given her everything, even at the cost of having his own life be put on hold for her. If it wasn't for him she surely wouldn't have survived these past years.

So why couldn't she just love him?

Like her, Brendan had believed that in time May would come to love him. So far she had led him to believe that it had worked. It was the only way, after all, that she could pay him back. If she couldn't bring herself to develop feelings for the boy, then she would at least pretend that she did.

"I'm sure," she replied, and the smile that he gave lit up the entire room.

This only made her feel worse, however. She was only doing this for his sake, to keep him happy. After all, Brendan had tried so hard to make her happy every day. Even after she had told him that she couldn't marry him when she'd already given him her word that she would. May had dragged the poor man through countless emotions, but he'd come out on top with a smile after each and every him, as though it didn't matter.

He excused her each time. It wasn't her fault that she'd lost the baby. It wasn't her fault that she hadn't been ready. Brendan wasn't about to push her. This time, he wanted to be sure.

Three years ago, May Maple agreed to marry him. Two and a half years ago, she lost the only thing she had left of Drew. Two years ago, she'd told him she couldn't go through with the wedding. One year ago, May had asked to move to Kanto so they could start all over again; and this time, she'd marry him.

In his eyes, it was a dream come true. In her eyes, it was only fair. He'd sacrificed so much for her. This was the only way to pay him back. Even if it killed her to do it, she would make him happy in the end. It was something she'd sworn to herself a long time ago.

* * *

"Really, Sol? Why so far away?" Drew inquired, raising an eyebrow at the middle-aged woman standing in front of him.

Solidad paused in the midst of unpacking the shopping, looking up to where he was leaning against the wall. She smiled, placing a packet of tomato paste atop the bench in front of her as she turned back to Drew.

"You know that it's got some of the most beautiful scenery," she told him, eyes already glistening at imagining the day in question. "And I've always wanted to live there. Ever since I was a little girl, actually."

Drew shook his head, "And how does Harley feel about all of this?"

Solidad shrugged, "He's okay with it. The Archipelago offers plenty of work for him. Besides, as long as it makes me happy he really doesn't care."

Drew snorted, his lips curling into a one-sided smirk of their own. Harley was crazy about Solidad, that much was true. In fact, every time she'd even bring up a suggestion for the matter in question he'd agree with it instantly. There were no doubts involved. When Drew had asked the older man about it he'd only replied with:

"It's Solidad's day more than it is mine. As long as she's happy, I'm happy."

"So, you're getting the dress made into Kanto?" She nodded. "And you're having the wedding at Tohjo falls, which is basically right next to Johto, and then moving to the the Orange Islands?"

Solidad only grinned at him, then resumed her unpacking of the shopping. He chuckled; Harley was _so_ whipped. It was only another couple of months until the wedding, and then they'd be moving away from Hoenn, leaving Drew by himself.

"Oh, and remember, Drew, I'm leaving tomorrow so you'll be heading there next Sunday. I have to be in Saffron City early to make some final preparations on the dress," she reminded him. Drew rolled his eyes, already having had it drilled into his head repeatedly over the past couple of days.

Drew groaned. "I know, Sol. Don't worry, I'll take perfectly good care of the house while you're gone," he assured her.

"Well, I should hope so." She opened the fridge, waving a bunch of carrots his way. "You'll be moving into it after we're gone."

Drew narrowed his eyes at the carrots detestably. Honestly, he never understood how someone could eat something so... _orange_. Solidad noticed his expression and laughed, shoving the vegetables into a compartment at the bottom of the fridge so that they were as far out of his sight as possible.

"Indeed," he replied, still glaring at where the abomination had been placed. "Those things had better be gone by the time that happens."

She sent another grin his way, closing the fridge shut and moving over to where select ingredients were strewn out across the bench top. For a second, her expression dropped. The glint in her eyes faded, just barely, but enough for Drew to notice.

"What?" Solidad flinched slightly, distracting herself by grabbing a metal bowl and a few eggs. She didn't reply, instead choosing to crack the eggs and busy herself with whisking them.

"Don't play innocent." The smirk was gone, now replaced with a piercing stare. "I know that look, Solidad. What are you thinking?"

Solidad sighed, putting the objects down as she looked up at him. Drew's expression was now stoic, all playfulness having disappeared in the blink of an eye. It was all too clear that that he wasn't in a joking mood. She knew that he knew what the look in her eyes meant, and whenever her carefully placed mask wavered, even for a moment, this Drew came out.

After all, it was the same stare that she'd looked at him with for two whole years. Two years when he'd been at the lowest point in his life, and she hadn't been sure that he would ever snap out of it.

"I just..." Solidad trailed off, trying to find words that wouldn't set him off. Not again. "Are you sure that staying in Hoenn is what you really want?"

Confusion flickered across his face. "What do you mean? Why wouldn't I stay here? I've always lived in Hoenn, Solidad."

She licked her lips, "I just think that maybe, and this is only a suggestion, that it might be a good idea for you to move out of here. Move in with us, in the Orange Islands."

Drew's brow shot up. "And what? Keep living with you and Harley? I know you're worried about me living on my own, Sol, but I can't stay with you two forever. Especially since you and Harley are getting married and, well, you know..." he trailed off.

A dusting of pink sprayed across her cheeks at the innuendo, and she quickly shook her head. "That's not... God, Drew! That's beside the point," she covered, choosing to ignore the almost-smirk threatening to appear on his lips.

"Then what do you mean?"

"Hoenn has a lot of... bad memories for you," Solidad started slowly, not missing the way his features darkened. "I just think that it would be better for you to get away from all of that."

"Get away from_ what_, exactly?" Drew demanded, tone harsh and eyes cold. She swallowed, knowing that she was now walking on eggshells.

"Drew, you know that I care about you. I was there when you went through all of that. I watched you, took care of you. I saw just how much M- how much _she_ impacted you," Solidad told him, cursing herself for almost slipping up.

He remained silent, staring at her with piercing green eyes. Drew removed himself from the wall, slowly making his way over to the other side of the bench. He stopped upon reaching it, his gaze boring into her own fiercely.

Solidad tried not to shudder. Really, she did.

"Starting afresh would be good for you, Drew. Away from here, away from all of that. Away from memories and a past that, even though you'll deny it until your last breath, I know still hurts you. This can help you," she continued before he could say anything else.

He still didn't say anything, and Solidad did her best to avoid his gaze. She fidgeted with her fingers, twirling the engagement ring on her left hand nervously. Drew stared at her, not speaking for what seemed like forever. Eventually, he sighed, and she dared to peek up at him through her fringe.

"Keep her out of this, Solidad. That was a long time ago. I'm over it," he finally spoke, indifferently.

Solidad raised her head, looking back at him with a disbelieving gaze, "Drew, don't be ridiculous. We both know that's not true."

"She's the one who left me. I don't see why I should feel anything for her," Drew said back. On the outside, he looked composed. However, Solidad knew him better than that. She could tell he was wavering. Talking about it hurt him, and there was something similar to regret in his eyes.

"You say that like those two years never happened. Three, if you count the one you spent-"

"_Don't_. Don't go there, Solidad." His words were harsh, and Solidad was sure she only ever saw him this was when he was in the verge of crumbling. But this was just proof that, somewhere, he really still did care.

"If you didn't feel anything, you wouldn't be acting this way," she argued.

"You know what? I don't have to talk about this," Drew stated, beginning to turn away.

"You can't just keep running away from your problems, Drew!" She may have been timid earlier, but Solidad was now passed that. If anyone could stand up to Drew, it was her. She wasn't afraid of him. He whirled back around, vicious glare burning through her intensely, but Solidad didn't back down. She wouldn't.

"I'm not running away. I'm simply choosing to not argue over something that is meaningless," Drew responded after a few moments, backing down slightly. Only slightly, though.

She scoffed. "Meaningless? Drew, I spent two years helping pick up the pieces of a broken man. A man that wouldn't stop searching for an entire year. A man that, even though he says that it means nothing anymore, still allows her to get the best of him. It's still the one thing that will make him react like this. You can't tell me that this is meaningless."

His fists tightened, nails digging into his skin. He barely noticed. The physical pain was nothing compared to the emotional turmoil he had endured.

"You're right. It's not meaningless," Drew finally agreed. "But it _is_ pointless to try and keep a dying subject alive."

"No, Drew. You're the one not letting it die," she told him, and his eyes filled with a mix of confusion and irritation. "It should have been dead long ago, Drew. You're just keeping it dormant. I just want to help you," Solidad begged, gazing up at him pleadingly, desperately.

"You can help by staying out of things that are none of your concern," Drew muttered.

"You know I can't do that and this _is_ my concern. Actually, considering you've spent the majority of it in _my_ house, leaving_ me_ to make sure you didn't fade away, I think this is more than my concern," she retaliated.

Drew began walking away again, only stopping when he heard the slam of her fist against the bench.

"Damn it, Drew! Why do you have to be so stubborn?"

He didn't turn around to face her, instead shifting his head to glance over his shoulder. "There is no point in bringing up the past. I can't change anything, and neither can you. It's better to just forget."

"You can't keep this locked away forever, Drew. At some point, you're going to need to suck it up and talk about it. It's the only way you'll ever be able to let to let go."

"Whatever. I'll see you in a week,'' he muttered.

With that, Drew stormed out of the kitchen, and out of the house. The loud bang of the door closing made Solidad flinch more than she would like to admit. She leaned down, elbows on the counter and rubbing her face with her hands.

* * *

The music blared in his ears, flashing lights filling the entire room with bright streams of all colours of the rainbow. He couldn't understand why she always chose this particular club. His gaze remained fixed on a small bluenette, watching her flirt with some random guy in disgust. He scoffed as the man slipped an arm around her waist, bringing the glass to his lips and chugging the remainder of his drink. The sting of the alcohol barely even fazed him at this point.

"Gary, stop staring. You look like a creeper," Jimmy remarked, whacking him over the head with a cloth. The brunet grunted as the material struck him, tearing his gaze away from the couple and towards the man speaking to him. "If you hate it so much why do you come with her every night?"

Gary glanced back at the girl, who was now locking lips with the stranger. He growled, slamming his glass down against the bench.

"Just look at him!" Gary cried, gesturing at the couple and ignoring the bartender completely. "He only wants one thing." His eyes narrowed dangerously at where the man's hand was now travelling lower on her body.

"Gary, I hate to say it but so does she." Gary scowled at the bartender, who sent him an apologetic look. "You come here every night, sit in the same seat, order the same drink and fume over whatever guy she picks up," Jimmy pointed out. "It's become routine."

"Don't," Gary muttered.

"You've been doing the same thing for three years, now! You just sit there moping while she flirts with random guys. Not once have you ever left with a girl, you know. Now that I think about it, you've never even attempted to talk to one."

He groaned. "I should never have brought her here in the first place.".

Jimmy sighed, grabbing a cloth and beginning to wipe down a stack of glasses. "You could just tell her how you feel, you know."

Gary's head whipped up, horror clear on his face. "Are you crazy? No way!"

"Then why put yourself through this?" Jimmy asked, taking Gary's glass and refilling it. "It'd spare you a lot of pain." Gary turned away, shrugging. "Alright, it's just a suggestion. Heads up, they're coming this way."

Gary rolled his eyes, already knowing how this was going to play out. He grabbed the now full glass of beer and took a large sip. It was the same every night. They'd go out, he'd drink, and she'd find a new partner for that evening- leaving him to wallow in his own misery every time. The clatter of heels caught his attention, and Gary chugged the rest of the beer.

Jimmy turned his attention back to the stack of glasses, resuming drying them. She stopped beside him, the shadow of a taller man visible despite the lights distorting the space around them.

"Hey, we're going to get out of here. See you tomorrow, 'kay?" she told Gary, eyeing the man beside her cheekily.

"Sure," he responded, not bothering to look over at them. He didn't want to see her hanging off another man's arm. Not again. Not tonight.

She sighed, turning to the man next to her. "I'll meet you outside, just give me a minute." The man nodded, leaning down to whisper something in her ear. She giggled and whacked him playfully, and it took all of Gary's willpower to stay in his seat and not break the man's nose.

It didn't take a genius to figure out what he was talking about.

The man let go of her and began to walk away. Once he was out of sight, she turned to Gary. "Seriously, Gary. You need to sort yourself out."

"What are you talking about?"

"This!" she cried, gesturing to his current position.

"I'm fine, Dawn. Just go. He's waiting."

Dawn sighed, flipping her blue tresses across one shoulder. "I'm just saying that it wouldn't kill you to have a little fun. You never pick up women, and God knows there are tons here that would be more than willing to go home with you. I'm starting to think that you swing for the other team."

"Dawn..."

She giggled, and his heart fluttered. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding! Gosh, Gary. But seriously, just... Next time you go out, you're not going home alone. I'm not joking. You're twenty-three and haven't gotten any yet. I'm two years younger and..."

He felt sick. He knew where that sentence was going, and the thought made him unbelievably nauseous.

"Please, don't remind me," Gary begged, and she laughed, thinking it to be a joke.

"Fine, whatever. I'll see you tomorrow," Dawn told him, before turning to the bartender. "Take care of him, Jimmy." He laughed, giving her a nod in a return as she began to walk away. "Oh, and say hi to Marina for me!"

Gary groaned, dropping his head into his hands. "I'm going to need another drink."

* * *

"Closing time was fifteen minutes ago, you know," a voice stated, and Ash glanced up from his hot chocolate to see a brunette standing in front of him.

He let out a small chuckle, "Aw, come on, Leaf. You know that if I didn't stay behind you'd make me help you pack up, anyway."

Leaf smiled. "Right you are, Ketchum." She laughed, walking over to the nearest table to start wiping it down.

Watching as Leaf decided that the table was clean enough to begin stacking chairs, Ash took a sip of his drink. The soothing effect was instantaneous. All of his tension melted away as the rich, warm liquid glided smoothly down his throat.

"So, have you heard from Gary lately?" Ash inquired casually, and Leaf snapped her head over to him with wide eyes. In doing so, she accidentally knocked into a chair and sent it crashing to the ground, making her jump at the sound of the impact.

He raised an eyebrow, and she avoided his gaze by picking up the chair and placing it carefully back on the table. Leaf turned back to him, knowing that he was expecting an answer and that she wouldn't get off that easily. Lately, he'd become more and more suspicious of what she'd been telling him.

Not that he shouldn't have been. After all, she had been covering up for the past three years.

"No," she answered quickly, grabbing the cloth and moving to another table. "He still hasn't called."

"What about from Professor Oak?" Ash pressed.

"I haven't spoken to him in weeks, Ash," Leaf stated. "He's not going to randomly call to update me on Gary's lack of updates."

"Well, why wouldn't he?" he asked, pausing to take another sip. "You and Gary are still friends, right?"

She began wiping the table vigorously, attempting to pour her irritation into cleaning. Maybe it would have been better if she'd just sent him home, instead. Then she wouldn't have to deal with this. There was enough on her plate at the moment without Gary Oak being brought into things, and by Ash Ketchum of all people.

"Sure. Of course." Ash was supposed to be the dense and oblivious one. Why, when the situation actually called for his very few talents, couldn't he just remain blind to it all?

"Then why not ask Professor Oak how he's doing?" Ash suggested. "I'm sure he wouldn't mind giving a message to Gary. Maybe he could even tell you why we haven't heard from him."

"If he's not going to speak to me, I won't make him," Leaf told him.

"Leaf, it's been three years," he pointed out.

She knew. Oh, Leaf definitely knew how long it had been.

After all, _she_ had been the one to cut off ties with Gary, not the other way around. But Ash didn't need to know that. That would create questions, questions that Leaf wasn't ready to answer. How was she supposed to explain to him why she had stopped talking to their best friend? It wasn't as though Ash would understand. Anyway, he was still sore over his last relationship; she couldn't bring up the topic of feelings. That would just make him hurt even more, and that was something that Leaf wanted to avoid.

No, it was better that Ash didn't know. It was better for both of their sakes.

"You were his best friend, Leaf," Ash stated, bringing the cup to his lips once more.

"So?" As if that mattered now.

"So there must be a reason, right?" he pressed, gazing at her intently, and she felt the beginning of a headache coming on. Sometimes, Leaf really despised how stubborn he could be. Ash was just trying to help, she understood that. He hated seeing his friends upset. .

"I don't know what to tell you." Because honestly, she didn't.

"I'm just saying that it's strange that he would suddenly break off all contact with you," Ash continued, "After all, you were the one who remained close with him, not me."

"That's because you were too busy," Leaf blurted out without thinking, instantly regretting it as his face shifted to one of indifference. She froze, staring at him with an apologetic expression but unable to get any words out. Ash remained quite, not touching his drink nor speaking at all. "Ash, I..." she trailed off. Once again, she didn't know what to say.

"It's fine," he dismissed. Grabbing the still half-full drink, Ash stood up and walked over to the nearest trash can and dumped it inside. Leaf swallowed thickly; Ash was never one to waste anything that could be processed by his stomach. Ever.

"I wasn't thinking," Leaf tried, stumbling over words and desperately trying to get something out.

Ash turned back to her, shoving his hands in his pockets. He wasn't angry at her, or annoyed. It was an accident. Leaf hadn't meant to bring that up. It wasn't her that his emotional turmoil was connected to, anyway. Finally, after what seemed like forever to Leaf, he gave her a small smile.

"Really, Leaf, it's okay. You didn't mean it. It's not your fault." She breathed in relief, but his words didn't ease her guilt.

"So..." she trailed off, deciding that now wasn't the best of times to talk about it. Ash, on the other hand, seemed to understand what she was getting at. He shook his head in answer. Another wave of guilt washed over her; was this what Gary felt like when she stopped talking to him?

Leaf instantly broke that particular train of thought, cursing herself for even thinking such a thing. Of course Gary didn't feel the same as Ash; Ash had his heart broken, Gary didn't. For him to feel the same would imply that he had felt something for Leaf, and that was the one thing that she had always been certain of about Gary Oak.

He didn't love her.

"No. I haven't," he replied quietly.

While Leaf had stayed best friends with Gary, Ash had been occupied trying to save his relationship. In the end, however, it had all been in vain. Gary left for Sinnoh when they were eighteen, and Misty eventually decided that by staying with Ash while she went to Unova it would only hurt him more. Although Leaf wanted to dislike her for hurting Ash so much, she knew that she never could.

Misty was her friend, too. Both of them had done what they felt was best for Gary and Ash. It was the easiest way to hurt them the least, and in time, they'd both hoped Gary and Ash would forget about them and move on. In Gary's case, Leaf was positive it had worked. Ash, on the other hand, still wasn't quite over Misty. He'd never even tried.

But that didn't mean she couldn't relate to Ash on the emotional front.

"I'm sorry." Really, she was.

Ash shrugged, "There isn't anything you can do about it."

They both continued to stand there in silence after that, each in their own world yet appearing to be in an awkward silence. Leaf was the first to snap out of it, and finished stacking chairs on the last table before walking over to the counter.

"It's alright, Ash. You can go. I can clean up by myself today," she eventually said, and he nodded vacantly.

"Are you sure?" It was a question of politeness more than anything.

"Yeah, I'll be fine." They both knew the double meaning to what she was referring to.

The little bell atop the door dinged as he left, and once he was gone Leaf fell into a nearby chair. She ran a hand through her waist-length brown tresses, attempting to sooth herself but only managing to come up with memories and thoughts of the past.

Had she made the right choice?


	2. To Start a War

**_Chains_**

_Chapter One ~ To Start a War_

* * *

"What the hell is your problem, Gary?" Dawn demanded, crossing her arms. Her usually cheerful demeanour had fallen, leaving a rare scowl in its place.

She had walked in to find him sprawled out on the couch _again_, for what was probably now the sixth time in three weeks, surrounded by empty beer bottles scattered on the floor and a trail of liquid from which one had spilled. It was the sight of deterioration- because he had so much potential and she knew that, so did he -that had initially been what sent her mood into a downward spiral, but it was his attitude that had really been what pushed her already sour mood over the edge.

She'd told him time and time again not to drink himself stupid like this. It always ended up the same; with her arriving early in the morning to see him passed out and dishevelled somewhere around the apartment, normally the couch he was currently glaring at her from. Gary was supposed to be in Sinnoh for research, but in all four years he'd been here the only productive thing he seemed capable of doing was accompanying her to a club or downing more alcohol than could be considered healthy.

He wasn't an alcoholic, not by any means, and he wasn't addicted to the stuff. But that didn't mean that it was okay, and even though she'd always made a point of keeping her mouth shut because it wasn't like her grip on life was perfect by any means, Dawn still hated watching him waste his talents.

As per usual, she hadn't gone off at him. Gary had been in a bad mood upon awaking. Now, though... His eyes were bitter, lingering with sadness and something else she couldn't quite make out. But Dawn didn't care for how he was feeling right now, oh no. She just wanted to know what had crawled up his ass and died.

"I don't have a problem," Gary insisted, tone juxtaposing his attitude.

Dawn scoffed, her annoyance only rising further. _This_ was what she hated. He was always grumpy when she returned from one of her 'nights', but he had been absolutely ridiculous from the moment she'd appeared in his field of vision. Whether it be the beer or a restless night she didn't know, and Dawn truly despised conflict, but the guy seriously needed to get off his man period before shit hit the fan.

"Clearly you do, or you wouldn't have commented otherwise when I'd practically stepped one foot inside," she bit back, eyes blazing with anger.

Gary's own eyes narrowed, words forming on the edge of lips before deciding against it. "Draw it down to personality? I don't know, Dawn. You tell me."

"This is exactly what I'm talking about!" Dawn yelled, unable to keep her composure any longer. "You've been in a shitty mood ever since I walked in that door, and I have no idea why. If I've done something wrong please tell me because right now I'm totally lost!"

"You're being hypocritical, Dawn," Gary pointed out, and she only clenched her teeth in fury.

"How am_ I_ a hypocrite?" she challenged, placing both hands on her hips.

He snorted, pushing himself off of the couch to stand up fully. "So it's fair that you can go gallivanting off every weekend with some complete stranger but I can't have a few drinks?"

Dawn dropped her jaw in disbelief. "That's not the same and you know it," she snapped.

"You don't see me complaining," Gary replied evenly.

"Then why are you being such an asshole?" Dawn screamed, sick of him and his stupid inability to see beyond his own perception. Sure, maybe it wasn't exactly the most savoury of activities she could be engaging in, but it was better than him wasting his life away.

Gary stared at her for a few moments before something in him finally broke. He shook his head, walking closer until they were only a metre apart. "I don't know what to tell you, Dawn. Maybe it's just a part of who I am. I'm an asshole and you're a whore. What difference does it make?"

Her face fell instantly, and for a moment Gary regretted how harsh he had sounded. Then, the hurt vanished just as quick as it came, and Dawn looked positively lethal. Granted, he shouldn't have called her a whore, and yet as soon as the fury appeared he couldn't find it in himself to care.

Dawn took a step forward, teeth barred and poked a finger at his chest as she spat, "w_hat_ did you just call me?"

The venom in her voice was almost enough to make him shrivel, but Gary Oak did not back down. He'd definitely regret this later, but at this point he just wanted to let it out. So what if she was his closest friend? It was_ her_ that had pained him so much for so long. She deserved whatever she got. It wasn't his fault if she was sensitive.

"You heard me perfectly well. Of course, if you'd actually taken the time to go on a proper date and start a relationship with any of the dozens of men you've been with then it wouldn't be justified. But it is what it is, and you know that it's true," Gary told her, plastering on a smirk for show.

Dawn lost it. "What the hell would you know about love and relationships? In the four years that you've been here you haven't had a single one. Maybe if you actually pulled the stick out of your ass an-"

"Because I've been in love with you for all of them!" Gary roared, and before either of them knew what was happening, he had grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his chest. Dawn stared up at him in shock, one wrist still trapped and the other dangling limply by her side. "All four years, Dawn, and not once have I ever even looked at somebody else."

She gulped, his face so close that she could feel his breath ghosting across her lips. Love? Gary Oak _loved_ her? No. That wasn't right. It was impossible. She'd never once felt anything for him, not a shred of affection other than that of friendship. She was Dawn Berlitz; she'd been with enough men to know when they felt something and when they didn't. So why did he look so pained, so vulnerable?

Why was that previously incomprehensible emotion swirling in his eyes so easy to read now?

Gary's head was empty, the only thing being processed was her large, cobalt eyes staring into his in pure shock. The next thing he knew was that their noses were touching, and then all he could feel was her soft lips on his. Dawn, if shocked before, was now positively stunned. She stood their frozen, Gary's mouth pressed firmly against her own and having no idea what to do.

Dawn knew that she didn't love Gary. Not in the way he loved her.

But right now that didn't matter, because he was right there and he was kissing her and she needed to make a decision. Finally, Dawn closed her eyes and relaxed into the kiss, pressing back against Gary's lips softly. He let go of her wrist and allowed both hands to rest on her waist, tension visibly ebbing away now that she'd made it clear that she wasn't going to push him back.

It only lasted for a little while longer, a while longer that was far too short in Gary's opinion. They broke apart, and she looked up at him with something akin to guilt. He didn't take note of that, though, because his head was still foggy and the smell of her perfume wasn't helping at all. Eventually, he gave her a lopsided grin, and Dawn shook her head sadly. She took a step back, placing both hands on his chest to keep him back softly.

"Gary..." His heart sank. He knew what was coming next, the tone of her voice told him everything he needed to know. Rather than allowing himself to break then and there, though, Gary shielded himself, letting anger take over instead of being vulnerable.

"Don't bother, Dawn," Gary muttered. He was hurt. He was angry. He was confused. Why did she kiss him if she didn't want to?

"I don't love you. Not in the way you want me to," Dawn told him gently. "I'm sorry."

Gary's heart tore at the words. He had seen them coming, but that didn't make it any less painful upon hearing them. In a sudden burst of irritation, he frowned, grabbing the wrists still pushing against his chest tightly.

"Why didn't you push me away? Why did you kiss me back?" he demanded.

Dawn would be lying if she said that she wasn't scared, but didn't try to remove his grip. "I don't know."

He gritted his teeth. That didn't help anything at all. "What do you mean you don't know? It meant something, Dawn. You kissed me back. You had to have felt _something_."

She took a deep breath, gaze boring into his own as she tugged at her hands gently. It calmed her slightly at the fact that Gary didn't struggle, letting them slip out of his grasp freely, but she was still nervous. She didn't want to hurt him. Gary meant a lot to Dawn, and on some level she did wish that she could feel the same way about him. Even if only a fraction. But she didn't, and that wasn't something either of them could help.

He didn't give her the chance to respond. "You can't tell me that after all this time you never knew. We've spent years together, you can't have been that oblivious! I've loved you for years, Dawn. Fucking _years_. Don't tell me that you never saw it."

"I don't know what to tell you, Gary," she whispered.

He scoffed, turning away and running a hand through his hair. "I don't believe this."

Annoyance slowly rose up to meet her guilt. He had no right to be mad at her. Albeit the fact that she probably shouldn't have kissed him, Dawn didn't like upsetting other people. She knew that flat out rejecting him would only have made the situation worse.

"What do you want me to tell you, Gary? Would you rather that I pushed you away? Or do you want me to lie to you?" Dawn demanded, voice clear but words empty.

He looked over his shoulder, eyes hard and as shallow as her own words. "Of course I don't want you to lie to me. I just want you to show me that you can feel something for someone without using them."

Dawn flinched, his words cutting deeper than he had probably intended. Nonetheless, that one sentence opened up old wounds, and she blurted out a defence before she could stop herself, "I haven't been capable of feeling anything for another man ever since-" Dawn slapped a hand over her mouth mid-sentence, unable to believe that she'd let that loose. "You know what? Just don't worry about it."

But the damage had already been done, and Gary was mere seconds of figuring out exactly what she was going to say.

Sure enough, he slowly turned around, eyes widening in realisation. "Unbelievable."

Dawn looked at the floor, avoiding his mocking gaze to the best of her ability. She bit her lip. Why now of all times?

"You're still not over him. It's been five years and you're still not over Paul, are you?" Gary asked, eagle-like stare watching her for any sort of signal. It was almost laughable. He wanted to punch himself for being so stupid as to not see it, the throbbing in his already shattered heart dulled by the irony of it all.

She still didn't answer.

Gary gave a dark chuckle. "Don't even bother answering, I should have known."

"I'm sorry," she whispered, not knowing what else she could possibly say at this point. To him it meant nothing, but Dawn meant it from the bottom of her heart.

Truly, she was. Dawn didn't want to fight with Gary. He was one of her closest friends, and it wasn't his fault that he felt the way he did. But it also wasn't hers that she could never return those feelings, and she wasn't about to pretend that she could.

"Gary, I..."

"Don't worry about it, Dawn," Gary said, walking straight by her and putting a hand on the door knob. "It's just a pity that you can't wake up and realise that he's not waiting for you."

Gary barely registered boarding the ferry to Kanto that very hour.

He didn't think twice as the contents of countless bottles of beer flowed down his throat, and when a girl who wasn't Dawn began to drink with him he was far too lost between alcohol and his emotions to care. The only thing he felt that night was nothing other than relief from the pain that came when he ended up in bed with that same woman, one with enchanting green eyes and a voice that reminded him of home.

* * *

Dawn bit her lip, eyes darting over to where her phone lay motionless. He still hadn't called. She'd spent half of the night venting to May about how absurd he was being, and then the other half crying because she was just as much to blame. When morning finally came she had awoken with puffy, tear-stained eyes and dried mascara running in thick trails down her cheeks.

She hadn't had much sleep that night.

The immediate thought that came to her head was to apologise, and after standing outside Gary's room in conflict for over twenty minutes came to find that he hadn't been home since last night. It was already midday by now and she still hadn't heard from him. Calling him hadn't worked, either, as all her attempts had just lead her straight to voicemail.

She presumed that his phone was off. She_ hoped_ his phone was only off. She wanted to believe it was off and he wasn't rejecting her calls. Letting out another sigh and checking the time again, Dawn decided to call May once more. Letting out a sniff, she picked up her phone and speed-dialled May's number and waited impatiently for an answer. To her immense relief, it didn't take long.

"Dawn? Is everything okay? Is Gary back yet?" May rushed out worriedly.

Dawn was torn between smiling out of fondness and bursting into tears all over again. "Not yet. He's not picking up, either."

There was a brief pause from the other end. "Try not to stress over it too much. I'm sure that he's just cooling off some steam. He'll be back soon, okay? No need to worry, right?"

Dawn allowed a small laugh. "Yeah. You're right."

Under any other circumstance Dawn wouldn't have been fretting as much as she was. But their fight wasn't _just_ a normal circumstance, and the moment she'd rejected his feelings she had felt a rift form in their relationship. As far as 'no need to worry' went... Well, Dawn wasn't so sure because this time it was different. This time, she wasn't sure that he would come back.

"Hey, so..." There was another pause, and Dawn's alertness shot up instantly. "I didn't want to tell you last night because of what happened, but I guess now is a good a time as any."

She did not like where this was going. "May, please," Dawn began, rubbing her temples, "I really don't need any more bad news right now."

"Oh, it's not bad! It's just... well, you know how Brendan's been asking me forever to marry him?" May asked slowly, taking time to gauge her friend's reaction.

Dawn did not like where this was going. She let out a small, "hmm," prompting May to continue.

"I kind of... I said yes," May said quickly. Upon receiving no reply, she added, "Dawn? Are you there?"

Dawn shook her head and replied, "Yeah. I'm here."

"So...?"

"So, what?" Dawn questioned, before realising what an idiot she sounded like. "Oh, the wedding! Right... It's great, May. Really. I'm happy for you."

From her end, May let out a sigh. "Look, I know you're not thrilled at the idea, but I can't keep him waiting forever. Brendan has been really good to me, Dawn. I owe him this much."

Dawn ran a hand through her blue tresses, detangling a few knots before speaking, "I _am_ happy for you, May. But I don't think that you should rush into something that you're not prepared for. You still have ti-"

"Dawn, I've kept him waiting for three years," May interrupted. "Ever since... Ever since..."

May's voice broke off, and Dawn felt guilt gnaw at her. The whole thing was still a touchy subject for her friend, and really, Dawn couldn't blame her. It wasn't that she didn't like Brendan. Quite the opposite, in fact. He treated May like a princess, and he had been more than patient with her. In all honesty, Dawn could never thank him enough for everything that he'd done.

But still, that didn't rule out the fact that May had a traumatic past, one that all the patience in the world would never be able to fix.

Dawn was glad that May had found somebody like Brendan to take care of her. Her one and only reservation was that marrying him could send May into a downward spiral all over again. The girl was her best friend, and Dawn knew better than anyone the emotional strain she carried around, locked deep inside and threatening to burst.

Because even though Brendan was her saviour, he had also been there at the time.

May Maple was a ticking time-bomb just waiting to explode, and something like this could be the trigger that set her off.

"You don't have to say anything, May," Dawn soothed. "I understand."

There were a few deep breaths from the other end, and May eventually spoke, "thank you, Dawn. Is it alright if I ask you to be my maid of honour?"

And just like that, everything that had happened in the duration of the last twenty-four hours dissolved in a split second. Dawn's face broke out in a mega-watt smile, excitement buzzing and happiness going into overdrive.

"Of course I will!" she all but screeched into the phone, and May let out a laugh.

"Thank goodness for that," May said in relief. "I hate to ask, but when do you think you'll be able to get to Kanto?"

Dawn tapped her chin in thought, racking her memory for a timetable of the ferries that travelled that way. "I'm not sure," she admitted. "But I'll book a ticket as soon as possible!"

"That's great to hear," May replied, feeling another weight lift off of her shoulders. If Dawn was there, maybe things wouldn't be so bad. "Really, Dawn, I can't thank you enough. But wait... What about Gary?"

Dawn's excitement faded, but the overall thrill of creating the perfect day for her best friend was too strong at this point for her to feel too much. "If he still isn't back by the time I have to go then I'll leave a message with Professor Rowan."

"Sounds good," May agreed. "I need to go. We'll talk later, okay? Love you!"

"Love you too, May-bear," Dawn replied, teasing her with an old nickname and hanging up.

As soon as she got off the line, Dawn tossed the phone to the side and flopped onto her back. She couldn't wait to see May again. Planning her wedding would be a blast. A girl's wedding was the most important day of her life, and Dawn would be damned if May's wasn't absolute perfection. If only there weren't so many little things that were preventing her from being _completely_ happy about it...

Dawn shook her head. No. She couldn't think negatively right now. May came first, and Brendan or not this wedding _was_ going to happen. She really didn't want to leave things like this until the set date, which was probably still months away, but in this case she had no other choice. May was right; Gary would come around when he did.

Until then, she didn't have any other option than to let him cool his jets and pray to whichever God willing to listen that he was alright.

* * *

"Sol, really, I'm just saying that I'm probably not the best person to talk to this about," Drew insisted, switching the phone to his other ear to get a better hold of his ticket. "Why can't Harley help? He practically_ is_ a woman."

"What was that?" Solidad asked, and he could just visualise the look on her face.

"Nothing, nothing," Drew brushed off quickly, deciding to change the subject. "Just said it was his wedding as well. So, back to your never-ending list of totally girly things that are going to embarrass me beyond the point of ever showing my face in Kanto again..?

Solidad sighed. "Drew, try and be a little mature about this. All I need you to do is organise a few flower arrangements, pick up my dress, sort out a couple of wedding cake adjustments, pick up my pill, make sure that the shoes have come in, double-check the venue, go down and g-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Drew cut in, waving his free hand in the air. "Back up a couple, you want me to _what_?"

"Make sure the shoes have come in?"

"No, definitely not that one," Drew stated.

"Pick up my pill?"

"That's it!" Drew cried. "What kind of 'pill' are we talking about here, Sol? 'Cause I really hope it's not the kind I'm thinking of."

Solidad scoffed and rolled her eyes. "For God's sake, Drew, what other pill would it be? Be a man. When you get a girlfriend, she's going to be having you run errands that are a whole lot more 'embarrassing' than collecting birth control."

"But why me?" he whined. "I seriously don't need those mental images. Besides, is there even anything left for you to do?"

"Fine, I'll get my pill," Solidad told him. "But the rest is up to you. And for your information mister, I am run off my feet here! There's sti-"

"Don't need to know!" Drew interjected, not wanting to start her. Once Solidad began there was never an end to it. She could make all of the maturity cracks she wanted but there was _no way in hell_ he was getting her something that involved Harley and them together and God, he did not want to even _think_ about the honeymoon...

"Honestly, Drew..." Solidad muttered. "Oh! That reminds me, you know those little kiosks by the ferry? Could you pick up a bottle of Mesprit?"

He rolled his eyes, scanning the miniature shops around him for a perfume vendor. Great. Now on top of everything else, he had to arrive in Kanto smelling like a girl. Wouldn't his mother just be so proud? Drew only hoped that none of Solidad's tasks required Harley to accompany him. The last thing he needed was to have his sexuality questioned, which he had no doubt would be extremely questionable if a man dressed in every colour of the rainbow was flouncing around him.

"All passengers for the K14, non-stop to Vermilion City, please make your way to the second gate. Your ferry will be leaving shortly."

"I'll have to get it in Vermilion, Sol," Drew informed her, shoving the ticket into his pocket and beginning to walk.

"I heard," she replied. "Remember to catch the bus that goes straight to Viridian Station! It comes half an hour after your ferry docks, so you should have enough time."

It seemed she had forgotten that he was the one who told her that. Drew shook his head, but didn't say anything further on the matter. It was pointless arguing with her. When it came to being stubborn, Solidad won by a mile and a half, and Drew knew that from personal experience.

"Relax, Sol, I'll be fine," Drew assured her, only half paying attention as he followed the signs directing him to the second gate. "See you on Monday."

"Don't forget my perfume! The Lake Guardian's are a limited edition!"

* * *

Misty shoved the key into the lock and turned it quickly, eager to get inside and set all of her luggage down. Behind her, Paul waited in annoyance for the door to be opened. While he wasn't about to say anything outright, he also couldn't wait to relax and recover from the long boat ride.

She heard the lock click, and with a grin she immediately turned the knob and pushed the door open. Stepping inside, Misty gazed around in wonder at the her surroundings. From the looks of things, this room was the lounge. A large, roof-to-floor window made up the far wall, overlooking a beautiful river. The flooring was completely wooden slats, but they were polished so thoroughly that Misty swore she could see her reflection.

A small selection of furniture was also positioned around the room, most notably a comfortable looking couch. A fireplace adorned the wall nearest the couch, which she instantly decided would be very useful during the Winter months.

She grinned. It was perfect.

Paul, on the other hand, wasted no time in dumping his bags in the nearest convenient location and scooting over to the ivory couch set up in the middle of the room. He never thought that he'd be so thankful for Misty organising to have the furniture set up before they arrived. Unlike her, he didn't bother scrutinising the little details. He did take a moment to scan the room momentarily, but as long as it contained the things he deemed necessary for survival Paul wasn't too fussed.

That was the main thing he liked about Misty: She was easy to live with. Damn woman could talk his ears off, but she was easygoing. Paul didn't do room mates, but Misty didn't nag at him about every little thing and cleaned up after herself. They had a flexible schedule, alternating daily between household chores and cooking. It was a shame, really, because as far as girlfriends went she fit the bill quite well. But would he ever date her?

Hell to the fucking no.

They were friends, individuals with a mutual dependence. Granted, Paul wouldn't have waltzed off to Kanto for just anyone, but that had nothing to do with feelings. It wasn't a matter of difference, or preference, no. He did love her, even if he'd rather deep throat a pool noodle than admit it, but not in that way. The same could be said for Misty.

The two shared a love-hate relationship that was founded upon her initial resolve to stay away from people and his genuine dislike of them. He supposed that she was a best friend of sorts, which again, he would never be inclined to admit. Possibly even a sister if she wasn't so freaking violent. Who even carried a mallet around with them at all hours of the day?

Oh, right. His_ lovely_ room mate.

But over his dead body, and granted, the outcome would probably be something of that sort if in another life it ever happened, would they ever date.

Misty bounded over to the window, an ear-splitting grin on her face. This was probably the most excited Paul had seen her in... well, years, if he was honest. The scenery really was jaw-dropping, but he didn't need to tell her that. A loud ding echoed throughout the relatively empty room, breaking the magical spell and sending Misty back down to Earth. She frowned slightly, eyeing her pocket in hesitation.

"You don't have to read it, you know," Paul pointed out, his own eyes trained on where the device was being kept. He knew that doing so would most likely diminish whatever happiness had finally shone through, and although he didn't dislike Rudy, Paul wasn't exactly thrilled about him either.

The guy treated her well enough, which was a plus. But Rudy just wasn't special. There were no sparks, nothing that indicated any sort of sign that she wasn't just there for the hell of it. Because even though she would never say it, Misty only stayed with him as a reminder of everything that she'd left behind. Paul_ did_ pay attention, despite his lack of showing it, so knew the way Misty thought.

She couldn't go back because in her eyes, if Rudy was there, going back wasn't an option. She had to keep moving forward, and that meant moving on.

Misty didn't move a muscle, shifting only her gaze to look at Paul. Not surprised that she didn't say anything back, he didn't bother lifting his own. He already knew that she was having an inner debate, and the outcome was always the same. Sure enough, only seconds later had the phone been dug out and lit up in front of her as she scanned the contents of Rudy's message.

Typing something back without any hint of emotion on her face, Misty locked her phone again and shoved it away with more force than necessary. She then plastered on a smile, one that Paul had long learned by now was yet again forced, and looked over at him. This time, his gaze met her own.

"I'm going to go out," Misty announced, and he raised an eyebrow. "Don't tell me you've forgotten already."

Paul shrugged, leaning further back into the couch. "Toss us the remote, will you?"

She rolled her eyes, but nonetheless the hint of a real smile ghosted her lips as she walked over to a box by the door and flung the remote over. "I'm getting a puppy. We've only talked about it a _thousand_ times. And remember that there should be a flower delivery sometime this afternoon!"

Paul stuck a hand in the air and caught it without looking, smirking when he caught the muttered, "show off" that came from doing so. Really, he wasn't that keen on having another life form around, especially one that required so much effort. But she'd looked so happy, so desperate when asking him about it, and right now he didn't have it in him to say no. As long as she cleaned up after it and he got to sit around for the next few months there wasn't much to complain about.

"Oh, and you're going to have to set up the TV," Misty added, throwing him a cheeky grin as she slipped through the door before he could reply by sending the remote straight back at her.

* * *

A few hours after Misty left, Paul heard a knock at the door.

He rolled his eyes and willed it to go away, presuming them to just be one of those annoying people -even though he thought the entire world's population was annoying- wanting to sell something or give him a useless spiel about information he did not need nor want. Another knock came, and he ignored that too, instead focusing on trying to figure out how to set up the television.

Another perk about rooming with Misty: Her family owned a gym in Cerulean City so she was fairly handy with electronic equipment when she didn't leave him to do it.

But then they knocked again.

Paul grit his teeth in frustration, pushing himself off the couch and stomping over to the door and intending to give whoever the hell it was a real piece of his mind. Grasping the handle tightly and throwing the door open in a manor that could have sent a grown man running for his life, he glared down to find out exactly who thought it would be a good idea to piss him off after a long boat ride from Unova to Kanto.

Surprisingly, the girl standing there did not even flinch. She gave him a thousand-watt smile and held out a bunch of flowers, blue eyes shining brightly as she looked up at him.

"I have a flower delivery for one Misty Waterflower," she announced cheerfully, not at all put off by his glowering demeanour.

Paul allowed himself to relax a bit. He merely grunted and took the bouquet from her, noticing that her name tag read 'May' in girly, swirling letters. Definitely somebody Misty would choose. The flowers themselves were... nice, he supposed. There was a mixture of pink lilies, yellow daisies and purple violets. He almost let out a snort. Of course she'd choose something based on her sister's names and hair colours.

"You must be the lucky man!" May said, her joyful personality making Paul see exactly why she worked in this sort of business. "I wish you all the best in your upcoming nuptials. Your fiancee has my number, so if you need anything else then please let me know!"

Wait. _What_ did she say?

Before he could get the chance to question her, May had already taken off down the driveway.

* * *

Misty strolled down the crowded streets of Viridian City, relieved that she'd taken the time to go over maps of the place. Not that she'd expected it to be quiet, of course, but there were people _everywhere_. Didn't they have places to be? Jobs to be doing? It seemed as though the entire population of Viridian was jam-packed into this one street! She robotically let out another muffled apology for bumping into what had to be the seventh passerby, delving one hand into her pocket to retrieve her phone.

Punching in the code and selecting her notes app as fast as possible, Misty scrolled through until she came across the heading she was looking for: Viridian Pet Shelter. 21 Crimson Court. She gazed around, hoping for any sign or indication of said address, and wasn't surprised to find none. Misty pressed a few more buttons and up popped a map which, by some random stroke of luck, showed that she was only a few blocks away from her destination.

Gripping to the phone like a lifeline, Misty followed the suggested route until she finally came across a small, bent sign that displayed _Crimson Court_ in bold letters. She grinned, tucking her phone away and turning down the small gap, pleased to see the shelter only about thirty metres from where she currently stood. However, upon getting a proper view of where she now was, Misty stopped in her tracks.

The court itself wasn't overly large or impressive, and looked slightly run-down in her opinion. It was more of an alley than a court, really. There were several old posters, shredded and torn from age tacked in clusters against most of the brick wall, and aside from a few stray shops here and there, the pet shelter was the only thing that stood out. 'Court' was just for show, Misty supposed. After all, Crimson Alley wouldn't have sounded appealing in the slightest. In fact, she had half a mind to turn around and walk straight out of here.

But if Misty was anything, it was determined, and it would be a waste of effort to have come this far.

Plus she really,_ really_ wanted to piss Paul off with a puppy.

Much to her relief, nobody jumped out of the shadows to mug her. As silly as it was, the area was rather shady, and her mind flashed back to when her search of pet shelters indicated that it was the most popular throughout Viridian. Either there weren't a ton of shelters, or the citizens of Viridian found the whole 'questionable' theme attractive. It didn't take long to reach the shelter, which was definitely the most striking section as far as the rest of the alley went.

A decent sized, worn building loomed over her, window frames surprisingly spotless and wooden door seeming less tacky than it had from a distance. Misty swallowed her doubts and slowly pushed it open, finding a warm, homey room inside. There were soft couches set against the wall directly to her left, various rooms branching off in different spots on the one adjacent to her.

In the middle of the room stood a round desk which nobody occupied, and if it wasn't for the bright light that shone overheard and the unlocked door she would have presumed that the place had been closed.

Misty carefully shut the door behind her and took a few more steps forward. After a little more observation, she decided that she quite liked the room. It wasn't bleak as she had expected. In fact, it almost felt _right_. She waited a while longer, and soon enough impatience kicked in and overrode the sense of politeness. Nobody had come out despite the bell set over the door. Misty walked over to the desk, eyeing the buzzer sitting so temptingly in her reach.

"To hell with it", she muttered, shooting out a hand and smashing the button for a good few seconds.

Moments within ringing it, footsteps echoed hurriedly from one of the many doors and Misty let out a small breath. Finally, she was getting somewhere. A door flung open somewhere behind her, and she barely had time to turn around before her vision was suddenly frozen on the last thing, or _person_, that she'd expected to see here.

"Sorry about that, we're just having a little trouble wi- Misty?"

Oh no.

_Nonononono._

Warm, inviting russet eyes. Soft raven hair. Tan skin. Smile that without even trying could make her knees weak and heart race.

"Ash..."

Before she even had time to think about it, both hands flew impulsively behind her back and the engagement ring had been buried deep within her pocket.

* * *

Gary awoke with a pounding head and a strange warmth surrounding him. Not willing to wake up just yet, he snuggled further into it, nuzzling his head against something that smelt like vanilla and cinnamon. Whatever pillows this ship supplied, he wanted them at home. The warmth moved against him, letting out a small sigh an-

Wait.

Gary snapped his eyes open and they locked instantly on the object next to him. Rather than a pillow, he was incredibly surprised to find that the 'strange warmth' was, in fact, a girl. Shit. Doing his best to ignore the throbbing in his head, which he was somewhat used to given the many nights spent on the couch, Gary darted his eyes around the girl and the room. He found an arm wrapped around her that he gently removed to avoid waking her, and inter- was he naked?

Double shit.

_What_ had happened last night?

He immediately checked under the covers to confirm that, sure enough, he was indeed free-balling. A sudden wave of dread washed over him, and Gary looked over to see that, from what he could tell, the girl was in a similar state to him. The shits just kept on coming. Well, this certainly wasn't how he had expected to start anew. On the one hand, he'd lost his V-card to a random stranger in a drunken one-night stand. On the other, Dawn wouldn't be able to tease him anymore.

Dawn.

The name still sent pain flowing throughout his entire being. How could she have been so... such a _bitch_? Granted, Gary knew he had overreacted a little. But in saying so he had been furious, and how Dawn had reacted wasn't exactly fair either. Unfortunately, that particular bout of anger that had lead him on a one-way trip to Kanto and into the bed of some girl he didn't even know.

Speaking of the girl, she was starting to stir.

He had to get out of there _now_. He did feel a little guilty in doing so, but wasn't this how it worked? There weren't supposed to be any ties after doing _that _and somebody had always flown the coop by the time the other participant woke up. Then again, her grip on his arm was currently preventing any and all sort of getaway at the moment.

But it was at that moment that the mysterious beauty chose to slowly roll over and lock eyes with him.

She froze. Her eyes become wide as saucers as her mouth opened and closed but no words coming out. Gary's arm was still firmly around her waist and he assumed that she was too shocked to realise that her own arm was keeping it trapped there. The two lay there for what felt like several torturous hours, neither saying a word.

And it was _awkward_.

After what could have been days but in reality was probably only a minute, Gary decided that something needed to happen right now or else it never would.

"Uh... Hi?"

She screamed.

Gary's hands were suddenly covering his ears, ineffectively trying to prevent the high-pitched sound from furthering his already pounding headache. Whether she had ripped his arm away from her or he'd managed to retract it forcefully he did not know, nor could he find it in himself to care. One thing that he did discover was that headaches- hangover headaches, to be exact -were a pain in the ass.

"What the _hell_ are you doing in my bed?" the girl demanded, practically shouted at him, pulling up as much sheet as she could to cover herself.

"I was hoping to ask you the same thing," Gary replied, shifting uncomfortably as part of his chest was exposed as a result of the moving sheet.

She groaned. "Oh god... I had sex with a stranger. Oh, _god. _Oh god."

Gray gave her a cocky grin. "Funny, I seem to recall you saying that quite frequently last night."

She narrowed her eyes and gave him a glare that would have most likely caused him to cringe if he were not so queasy (and amused, but mostly just sore). He really hoped that she wouldn't hit him. Screaming and having a random object come into contact with his cranium would not be a pleasant combination in the same morning. Thankfully, she did not.

Instead, the girl took a few deep breaths and rubbed her head with one of her hands.

"I'm going to go shower," she told him slowly. "By the time I get out, I want you gone from this room. Understood?"

He merely nodded, already moving to grab his pants, his grin widening when she rushed out of the room in nothing but the sheet. Still, Gary didn't miss the look of confusion and panic that momentarily flicked across her features and the way those green,_ green_ eyes had wavered.

* * *

For all intents and purposes, let's just say that it only takes about a day to reach Kanto from Hoenn and Sinnoh.


	3. To Forge the Path

_**Chains**_

_Chapter Two ~ To Forge the Path_

* * *

If there had ever been a depiction of dread, shock, and fear depicted in one picture, Misty Waterflower was the spitting image of it.

There was only one person who, even after having zero contact with them for five years, could send the resolve she'd enforced with an iron fist crumbling to the ground with just a single glance. Only one person who had the ability to make her heart pound in her chest in a way that nothing else could. The only person who held the potential to ruin everything she'd worked so hard to build in one split second-

and he was standing right in front of her.

Of all the thousands of people living in Viridian, all of whom could have been working at _that _shelter on_ that_ day and at_ that_ time, why did it have to be_ him_? Ash. Freaking. Ketchum. The boy she left behind five years ago. Someone up there must have it in for her.

She stood frozen, her now ring-less hand still held in place behind her back. His eyes, even from all the way across the room, bore into her own and seemed to pass straight through the exterior and into the depths of her soul. Misty couldn't move, couldn't think of anything other than the intensity and disbelief his gaze portrayed. Her hands had acted purely on reflex, but she didn't have time to think about that right now. Rudy was just a distant speck in the back of her mind by this point.

"Misty, is that really you?" His voice was quiet, hopeful, and yet rang through the room clear as day. Just the sound of it sent her mind spinning.

But all the same, it snapped her back to reality. Slowly, Misty nodded her head and shakily managed to choke out a response. "Y-Yeah. Hi, Ash."

And if she wasn't already struggling to keep herself appearing relatively functional, his next actions completely through all caution out the window. Ash's face broke out into the biggest grin she had ever seen, which was saying something considering she'd known him since they were children. The next thing she knew he had crossed the gap between them and had her held tightly in a hug, his face buried in her shoulder.

They remained in that position for what seemed to be a lifetime for Misty, and yet was only moments when he let go at last. She silently thanked the fact that she had been too stunned to do anything other than limply place her arms on his back, as she was positive she either would have pushed him away or pulled him even closer. Had he always smelled this good? The warmth enveloping her disappeared, and she managed to regain some control over her senses.

Ash was still grinning broadly, holding her shoulders at arms length. "It's great to see you again, Mist," hsh said, using the nickname that sent memories spinning through her head.

Because Ash Ketchum _was_ memories. He was laughter and love and heartbreak. He was the other half of her old life, the one she'd chosen to leave behind the moment she stepped on that boat. It had torn Misty to do so, but she'd known it was for the best and Ash Ketchum was part of a past that Misty couldn't possibly delve back into. Not now, not when she'd done so much to walk away from it.

Sometimes, it was hard to remember that she did was for him, too. It was_ all_ for him.

Misty didn't say anything, couldn't bring herself to tell him that she was being pulled into nostalgic regret by just this small encounter. Luckily for her, Ash seemed to be too elated to notice.

"It's been a long time," Ash continued, and she didn't fail to notice the ripple of his biceps when he pulled back but didn't remove his hold on her shoulders. "How have you been? How long have you been in Kanto for?"

She swallowed thickly, attempting to overcome the bulge that had taken up residence inside her throat so as to attempt to string together a coherent sentence. "I've been good," Misty began, choosing not to address the first part of what he said. The past was not something she could handle right now. "And today, actually. A couple of hours ago."

Small sentences, she told herself. No more than a few words. Build it up. Be safe.

Ash nodded, sticking to each word like glue and the uncertainty on his face told her he still having trouble believing that she was real, that she was _here_. "And the course?"

Misty noticed that his expression fell slightly, but only for a second. It was a touchy subject for her as well. Not that she could blame him, though, as her course was the entire reason she had to leave in the first place. Leave _him_ in the first place.

"Completed it with outstanding results," Misty told him and just for a moment, pride welled up in her chest.

"No surprise there." Ash chuckled. His mouth formed into an 'o' shape and he finally let her go. "But you're here for a reason, right? You want to adopt something?"

She let go of a breath she didn't know she was holding and ignored the way the loss of his warmth made her feel cold. Damn him for still having this affect on her.

Reality hit her all at once.

"Oh, right! I'm looking for a dog, actually. My f-" Misty cut herself short, having completely forgotten the actual reason she was here in the first place. Rudy. Her_ fiance_. Right. Misty opened her mouth to say as much, but stopped upon seeing his eyes. They were so bright and so innocent. So _happy_. Her gaze drifted down to her now free ring finger. "My _friend_ wanted me to pick one up."

It wasn't too much of a lie. Paul had flat out refused to bring home a "scruffy abomination", as he had put it, and she never specified who it was for. She'd come this far- never mind that internally, her mind was screaming _what the hell are you doing_ -and it was too late to take it back now.

"Great!" Ash said, moving over to reach behind the desk quickly and coming out with a bunch of papers. "You'll need to sign a few documents, but there shouldn't be a problem. Do you want to see the dogs we have now?"

Oh, there were _so_ many problems.

Misty just gritted her teeth and settled for nodding, not trusting herself enough to open her mouth. This was so wrong. She had a fiance. She had a new life, one that Ash wasn't a part of and could never possibly be. It wasn't right to keep him in the dark and it wasn't fair to Rudy, either. Her _fiance_. The man she was going to marry. The man that had been a replacement for Ash.

God, what on earth was she thinking? Rudy would be nothing short of gutted if he could hear what was going through her head.

She needed to pull herself together.

When Ash opened up one of the many doors and motioned for her to follow him, she said nothing and allowed him to guide her through what he referred to as his 'little slice of heaven'. To her surprise and immense relief, the tension she had previously felt slipped away as time went on. Ash was as easy to talk to as ever, and it felt so natural to be alone with him once again.

The conversation flowed smoothly about their lives and what they'd been up to, with Misty dancing around the topic of her private life.

According to Ash, he now worked as a wildlife technician for Professor Oak back in Pallet Town. He mainly documented animals out in Viridian and had rented a flat for convenience, but travelled around on occasion. He loved animals and volunteered at the shelter during his spare time at least once a week. The last five years had been spent focusing on his career. Just like her.

Ash seemed to pick up on what she was looking for pretty quickly, and had taken her straight through to one dog that she had fallen in love with instantly.

It was a tiny, two-year-old, light brown Pomeranian that had jumped all over her in excitement. Ash laughed when it licked her on the cheek, apparently amused and remarking, "He seems to like you", to which she had sent him a blank stare. Despite this, he showed her every puppy and dog they had, which was quite a lot considering the size of the place, and Misty had discovered that there was an entire extension to the back that made the shelter a whole lot bigger than it actually looked.

When they'd finally came out of the pens it was already two in the afternoon, much to Misty's shock. They'd spent two and a half hours in there and had completely lost track of time.

Ash handed her the paperwork, and she noticed that it seemed as though he was hesitant about something. He remained silently by her side as she filled everything in, only speaking when asked a question about anything she was confused about. Once finished, Misty handed it back over and he tucked it away into a small pouch on the desk.

"Well, I guess that's all set then," Ash remarked, scratching the back of his neck. A nervous habit; one that Misty recognised easily.

"I should get going. Thank you, Ash," Misty told him, giving him a small smile.

He let out a breathy laugh. "It's no problem, Mist."

Misty began fidgeting with her fingers nervously. She didn't want to go. Not when they'd just started getting along. It was so comfortable being with him and nothing felt forced at all. Not that it ever did with Rudy, but everything that involved Ash was so natural. It had been so easy to fall back into routine.

Despite the tightness of her chest, she turned away and only hesitated- because everything in her wanted to stay and it was so hard to fight your own body -slightly when reaching for the handle. She looked over her shoulder for a moment to see him watching her with a strange expression, almost like he was struggling with something.

_Don't do it. Don't say it. Don't-_

"Hey, Misty?" She spun back around almost too quickly, and couldn't explain the relief that flowed throughout her body at hearing his voice. "Do you think we could... Would you like to go out for coffee with me? Just as friends," he quickly added, seeing her uncertainty.

Misty felt her breath catch and clutched the door handle harder than necessary. Could she do this? Was it okay to do this?

Taking a deep breath, she tried not to notice how her heart was about to jump out of her throat and told herself there was nothing wrong with friends meeting for coffee. _Friends_. That's all they were and it was all they could ever be.

Ash was her friend.

Rudy was her fiance.

That's just how things were, now; the way _she_ had made them.

So with a smile, she gave him her answer, watching as his face brightened once more. It felt good to know that there was no awkwardness between them, and Misty knew that Ash wouldn't push her into anything. He'd always been a straightforward kind of guy, rushing into situations head-first without taking time to think about the consequences, but when it involved this sort of thing he could be patient.

He'd hold back. Ash was a friendly person, and Misty was positive that he'd hated leaving things the way they did.

Not that it was bad, but he had been hurt. Even if completely understanding her reason behind it.

But that wasn't what this was about. This was about mending the damage left five years ago, and giving Ash the chance to know she was okay. It wasn't that they'd left on bad terms or anything of the like, however Misty wanted to make sure that there was no more questions or hesitancy between them. Ash had always been her best friend. She owed him this much.

Seeing him again had definitely made her second guess her choices, but now she had an opportunity to fully get over any lingering doubt that remained. She needed this. Even if it was selfish, Misty wanted to see him again, to hear his voice. If anything, just to be sure of her resolve.

Ash had moved on. She thought she had, but now... Misty wasn't so sure.

It was something she needed to squash. Immediately.

* * *

Needless to say, when Leaf had finished with her shower and entered the room to find Gary sound asleep on her bed, she was not impressed.

Not in the slightest.

She let out an annoyed sigh, muttering to herself about typical men but not bothering to wake him up. She decided to take the opportunity to go over and assess the situation in a calm and mature manner, because she was an adult and adults were meant to be able to handle these things. So, with that resolve in mind, Leaf started from the root of her annoyance.

Beginning with wondering _why the fuck she had to go and sleep with Gary Oak._

Out of all the men in society it just had to be _him_. It was as if fate was playing a cruel, ironic game with her heart and mind. It had been years since they'd last made contact and she had been doing a pretty damned good job at keeping thoughts of him restricted to the darkest recesses of her mind. Well, until _now_ that is. This couldn't have possibly been worse.

As if life hadn't been enough of a bitch already.

Okay, to be fair there were a _lot_ of ways in which this situation could have been worse. But still, Gary. Bloody. Oak.

Maybe this was punishment for the time she'd stolen Ash's Pokemon Red game, or locked him in a closet with Misty when they were fifteen.

Collecting her thoughts, Leaf stood quietly and watched the sleeping boy. No, _man_. Gary certainly wasn't the eighteen year old boy he was when he'd left. Of course he would look different. That being said, she must have changed significantly in the past four years for him to not have recognised her. Either that or he was just really, really out of it, which could have been the case considering his obvious hungover state.

She'd opted for skirts and long hair after he'd left, deciding that a change of pace was in order. What was a new mindset without a new look to match it? Changing every aspect of herself had seemed like the best option at the time. She hadn't wanted a single remnant of the old her left behind.

The weak version of herself. The sad, lonely and pathetic little girl who cried when he left. Leaf downright detested that girl, and she'd be damned if heartbroken ever described her again.

Gary clearly decided to change his life by leaving. It was only fair that she began as a new person, too.

But that still didn't explain what he was doing on a boat back to Kanto. The last she'd heard, he was staying in Sinnoh for the foreseeable future with beautiful, flawless, 'eyes so blue he could drown in them' _Dawn _instead of coming home like he was supposed to two years ago. It was _his_ fault- just as much as it was hers but she wouldn't tell anybody else that -they hadn't remained in contact. He'd chosen to leave them, to leave _her_, and so she chose to relieve the pain rather than relive it every day.

Why was this happening?

Leaf got used to a life without him. Cutting off contact was something she had to do for herself, and it was working perfectly well. Or at least it_ had_ been until she went and slept with him by accident in her drunken stupor. In her defence, she hadn't known it was him at the time. Not that she remembered much, of course, and for that Leaf was unsure whether to be grateful or not; but she definitely did not pay attention enough to know that it was _him_.

If she had, she never would have spoken to him. Never would have slid onto that bar stool and ordered drink after drink after drink, nor would she have grabbed his tie and smashed their lips together. She never would have lead him to her bedroom or push her down onto the bed where his shirt had come off and his fingers slipped under her skirt and-

Leaf instantly dismissed the blurred image of them tangled in sheets and limbs and kisses out of her mind,

Because Leaf Green had loved Gary Oak and he had broken her heart.

Gary groaned, and Leaf panicked. He was waking up. She was_ not_ ready to face him. What the hell was she supposed to say? It wasn't as though this was a frequent occurrence. _Hey, thanks for last night. It's gonna be super awkward when your grandfather hears about this and you realise who I am._

Oh boy. Professor Oak.

Leaf didn't even want to _think_ of the disapproval from her somewhat parental figure and Gary's grandfather.

Ash. Delia. Professor Oak. Oh, god...

Then Gary rolled over and sleepily locked eyes with her once more, and Leaf decided that she might as well swallow her pride and deal with the situation as best as she could until they got off the boat. It had already docked, anyway, so she wouldn't have to see him again after she'd gathered all of her belongings. There was absolutely no doubt Professor Oak would call her immediately to announce his beloved grandson's arrival, but she could certainly avoid the lab for at least a little while.

And by 'a little while' she meant 'until Gary fucked right off to another region'.

"I thought I told you to be gone by the time I was finished," Leaf muttered.

Gary shrugged. "What can I say? Guess you're just too irresistible."

She rolled her eyes. Even if his outward appearance had changed, his personality definitely hadn't; flirting had always been somewhat of a defining trait of his. At least he'd bothered to put some clothes on in her absence...

Leaf didn't respond, knowing that it would only lead to a string of sarcasm from both parties that she just didn't have the time nor energy to deal with this morning. Her head hurt like hell and she still felt like absolute shit, although the shower had helped a little bit. Instead, Leaf walked over to the closet and pulled out her backpack, scooping out a hairbrush and replacing it with the dirty clothes she'd taken off before her shower.

"So... you're going to Kanto, too? Vermillion City?" Gary asked in an attempt to ease the tension.

Leaf raised her eyebrow and spared him a glance in the midst of her packing before replying, "Well, that _is_ where the boat docks."

"Right." They remained silent, with him scrutinising her while she shoved random items into her backpack. "What's your name, anyway?"

Leaf tensed, briefly halting her actions. So she'd been right by thinking that he didn't recognise her. A part of her felt glad, while another part, a tiny one that still hadn't been squashed after years of abandonment, sent a pang through her heart. Had she really changed that much? Or did she just really mean that little to him?

Of course he didn't recognise her. She'd never really been worth noticing.

"I'm... I'm not important," she answered quietly. She needed to get out of here.

Gary Oak was dangerous. Not because he could hurt her physically, no. Gary would never harm her. But he was dangerous in the way that he had the means to damage her emotionally without even realising it. It had taken her years to get used to living a life in which he was not a part of. Years for her to mask the pain of him leaving.

She would not let him have the chance to enter her life and leave a blazing trail of destruction and heartbreak all over again.

He frowned. "That was-"

"Look," Leaf cut him off, whirling around and mustering up as much courage and bitterness as she could. "Just forget about last night. Forget about me. I'm leaving and you should do the same."

And with- her heart on her sleeve -that, she marched straight out of the room and didn't look back.

Gary blinked. What had just happened? He remained in the bed for a few moments, wrapping his head around her words and the events that had played out last night. Despite his earlier quip at her words earlier, he didn't remember anything from last night. Nothing at all. It'd just been something he'd said in the heat of the moment without thinking.

He appeared to be doing a pretty good job at that lately. Though, given her flustered appearance and his initial state of undress, he had a pretty good idea of just what had happened.

Regardless, he found that he was not appeased with her answer. He wasn't satisfied with leaving it as just that. He didn't know what compelled him to do it, but Gary scrambled out of the bed and through the door to follow her.

"Wait!" he called, frantically looking around for any sight of the girl.

One thing was for sure: she definitely moved fast. There was not a trace of her in either direction of the hallway.

"Damn it,"Gary muttered. He decided that all paths would eventually lead to the deck, and so he quickly picked a direction in which to run. His stomach churned and his head span and he wasn't quite sure what he was doing, but he was determined to find her. Eventually, he spotted the stairway that lead to the open and he could not have been more relieved.

Fresh air sounded _amazing_ right now.

Panting as he finally set foot on the deck, Gary scanned the surrounding area. Thankfully, there were not many people around so he didn't have to search for very long before he at least spotted her descending down one of the many platforms that lead to land.

"Hey, wait a minute!" he shouted, and felt more than a little relieved when she turned back to look at him.

She watched him with disbelief, looking at him like he was crazy- and he probably was because who the hell did this -as he hurtled towards her, dodging the random luggage set out on the deck.

Gary was disoriented, nauseous, and in desperate need of several pain killers, but he pushed on nonetheless. Keeping upright had never felt like such a chore. What should have been an easy walk probably looked like he was recovering from a seizure, and when he finally reached her he leaned on one of the railings as he struggled to get his breath back. She, on the other hand, did not look amused.

Not at all. She was staring at him distastefully with a hand on her hip and a frown on her face.

"Unbelievable," Leaf muttered. "What on Earth do you think you're doing?"

She had to wait several moments before he was able to make enough sense of his bearings to reply. "Following you, of course."

To her credit, she concealed her surprise rather well. He made a mental note that she was rather good at masking whatever she was really feeling with anger, or whatever else it was. He noted the way her lips pressed into a thin line.

"Why?" she sounded annoyed, she _looked_ annoyed, but genuine curiosity seeped through her words.

As for why... Gary didn't know. She intrigued him to say the least, but he wasn't about to tell her that. In her current state she would likely push him over the edge of the plank and that was not a course of action that he was interested in taking on this fine, unorthodox morning.

"Well, I... Um- You see..." Gary trailed off, unable to find an answer that would be suitable.

"I see. How enlightening," Leaf said, her words dripping with sarcasm.

She turned to walk away and, without thinking, Gary grabbed her wrist. "Wait! I, uh... Don't go. I mean you can if you want, but I really don't want to be somewhere right now and you-"

God, he didn't even know her _name_.

Leaf let out a load moan and snatched her wrist back from Gary, effectively succeeding in cutting him off. She sighed. She wasn't going to get anywhere at this rate. All she wanted was a cup of coffee, possibly seven at the rate they were going, and a nap in peace and quiet. But seeing as Gary was about as stubborn as a mule and didn't seem to be leaving her alone anytime soon, she didn't have much of a choice.

That and they still had a bus to catch, and she really didn't want to have him pestering her in any other public place.

"Fine! You can come with me, but only because we're both hungover and I really want to get to someplace quiet. I have a cafe that isn't far from where the bus stops. There's food, coffee, and no customers because I'm closed on Sundays," Leaf eventually snapped. "Hurry up, people are staring."

..

.

..

Leaf quickened her pace to avoid any further talk once her destination came into view. Finally, she could have a coffee and something to eat that wouldn't make her stomach lurch. She noticed Gary hurrying to keep up with her and was thankful that he'd decided, at least for the time being, to stop talking. She didn't think she would be able to dodge too many questions in her current state without completely losing it and yelling at him.

Yelling for being such a pain in the ass _and_ for leaving- her -them. That would require an explanation and emotions and truths the Leaf was neither ready nor willing to give.

The journey there had been the bus ride from hell. She was somewhat glad for the peace as he refrained some speaking the whole time, however that came at the cost of both of them using all of their willpower to not decorate the seats with whatever they'd consumed last night every time the bus took a minor turn. Whose bright idea was it to put so many roundabouts in the middle of the damned road?

She was also planning to write a very detailed and colourful letter to whoever designed those stupid busses to sway so much while on a_ straight_ road.

All of that aside, Leaf fought down an elated cry when they finally reached her cafe, and she immediately shrugged off her backpack and fumbled around for the keys.

Scones and coffee. Advil and coffee and water. _Coffeecoffeecoffeecoffeecoffee._

"Green's Beans," Gary read aloud, eyeing the sign above the door. "Is that a play on words or something?"

If only he knew just ironic the statement was. She was sure he would appreciate the humour behind it, had his memories of the old her not been tainted and his first impression of this _new_ her being less than savoury.

Leaf didn't look at him, instead shoving the door open as fast as possible. "Something like that," she muttered.

Wasting no time in getting behind the counter and inhaling the familiar aroma of fresh coffee beans and cakes, Leaf switched on a machine and grabbed two mugs from one of the cupboards. She glanced up to see Gary looking around in wonder, and felt a small bit of pride well up in her.

The cafe was small, but it was homely. Comforting. There were round wooden tables dispersed around the room, each one adorned with a little vase and flower, and a table marker along with them. The walls were painted in a very fair shade of cream, with antique wooden beams carved with intricate patterns attached between them and the roof.

To her left there was a large window that displayed the bustling streets and various plants she kept outside, while to her right was what she liked to refer to as her memory wall. The memory wall was filled from top to bottom with pictures of every size, each one kept in a neat frame and hung perfectly according to the year and caption.

That was what Gary currently had his eyes on.

"Are these of you?" he asked, scanning the many images with curiosity.

"Not all of them. Some of them are, but a lot are of friends or pictures that customers have donated over the years,'' Leaf told him carefully. No need to let sensitive information slip.

He laughed. "Random people actually give you photos of them to stick up on a wall for the world to see?" Gary asked, incredulously.

"You'd be surprised." Leaf filled a tub with coffee beans. "Some people who just visit want to be remembered, and others are of frequent visitors. There are a few of me, though."

Gary began searching the wall for any photos of her, quickly spotting one of her outside of the cafe the day it opened. A couple of others were scattered around in different places, but the one that caught his eye was of two people that looked very, very familiar. He quickly checked the tag that captioned that photo, and to his immense surprise he was right.

"You know Ash and Misty?"

She winced.

Other than them, Leaf had taken care to not display any that could possibly tie her to Pallet Town. Especially of herself. It was for that reason that she'd purposefully left out anything to do with Gary or Professor Oak. The one of Misty and Ash, and Delia Ketchum for that matter, Ash's mother, could easily be explained. Having one of Gary and Professor Oak wouldn't be so simple.

It had also been a part of her healing process. The less Leaf had to look at Gary or acknowledge his existence, the better.

"I suppose you could call us friends. Ash gave me that one a while ago, actually. He stops by in Viridian from time to time," Leaf said, hoping he wouldn't press the topic any further.

Gary seemed to accept that. She was glad for it.

The machine was just about ready, so Leaf prepared all of the ingredients and began mixing. Making drinks had become like a second nature to her by now. The smell of coffee beans had a soothing effect, one that she was desperate for, and it managed to calm whatever nerves and clear away the jumbled thoughts in her mind. When the drinks were done she carried them over to the closest table and put them down, indicating for Gary to join her.

He made his way over and eyed the drink suspiciously.

"I didn't do anything to your coffee, Gary," Leaf drawled, taking another sip of her own. He was hesitant, but sat down regardless. She found herself torn between rolling her eyes and laughing when he actually sniffed it.

Gary picked up the mug and took a swig, eyes widening in surprise. "I've gotta hand it to ya, you make a mean cup of coffee."

He'd always complimented her on her coffee-making skills back in Pallet. It was actually one of the reasons- though definitely not the main one, not by a long shot -Leaf had ultimately decided to work in the business in the first place, but it was still nice to hear after so long.

"How long are you in Viridian for?" Leaf questioned, setting her mug down. It was a subtle way of seeing how long she'd be stuck with him before he no doubt left for Pallet, for his grandfather's laboratory.

Gary looked away for a moment, before replying, "I wasn't planning on staying, but then this trip has turned out to be full of surprises." Her cheeks heated at the reminder. ''I'm not really in any rush,'' he continued, ''now that I'm here I might stick around for a little while."

The cheeky grin he shot her almost made her weak in the knees. _Almost_. Now that they were a little less hungover and there was no alcohol to blame her actions for or inhibit her thoughts, Leaf felt the full brunt of the consequences of last night. She merely nodded in response, not trusting herself with words.

"How long have you lived here?" Gary asked, draining the last of his coffee.

After a few moments of thinking, she answered. ''Probably about two or so years."

"So... you'd have a house, then? Somewhere relatively permanent?"

Leaf realised where this was going, and it was not going to end well for her. Not at all. "I have an apartment, yes."

Gary gave her a hopeful look. Oh no. She swallowed thickly, knowing what was coming next, and she had no idea how in the world she was going to say no. This did not happen in real life, it just couldn't. Nobody followed a stranger from a one-night stand to their coffee shop. Nobody asked a stranger from a one-night stand to let them stay in their house.

But Gary Oak wasn't a nobody, and nothing in her life had ever been normal.

"Do you think I could, you know, maybe stay with you? Just for a couple of days!" he added the last part quickly, seeing the look on her face. "Please? I'll call my Gramps tonight and be out of your hair before you know it."

Nobody from a one-night stand_ said yes_ to somebody who was meant to be a stranger staying in their house.

''Your unexpected side stop is of no concern to me,'' Leaf muttered, ignoring the way he pouted.

What exactly was one meant to say to their childhood crush that did not recognise them and whom they had just slept with? She could always tell him that there were no spare rooms. That the apartment was tiny or that she had a room mate from hell and he'd probably be scarred for life. She could just send him packing, send him back to Pallet. Tell him no and that she wanted him out of her shop and out of her life as soon as possible.

But this was Leaf Green, and he was Gary Oak, and Leaf Green had never quite been able to say no to Gary Oak.

* * *

Drew knocked on the door impatiently for what had to be the fifth time now, and cursed loudly upon receiving no reply.

He was going to murder that cactus-loving freak.

Why couldn't Solidad have chosen a nice, normal boyfriend to marry instead of that weird atrocity that he wasn't even sure was human? Or sane, actually. Really, who even went around _prancing _and naming cacti? Oh, right. _Harley_ did. He would never understand what Solidad saw in him. But still, he loved the woman as a mother, and would respect whomever she chose to pledge herself to.

Even if his choice in clothes and hobbies and pretty much everything else were more than questionable.

Muttering to himself, Drew set his bag on the ground and looked around for the tell-tale creepy lizard statue that Harley insisted on keeping. It may have said 'Welcome!' in big, bold letters, but the thing was anything but a pleasant sight. Ignoring the freakish head which had weathered from years of exposure to the sun and other natural environmental conditions, Drew snapped the end of the tail off.

Sure enough, there was a spare key inside.

He wasted no time in opening the door and making his way into the spare room, making a mental note to check the fridge for any caramel chocolate -Harley's favourite- and take every last bit of it. After dumping his stuff down and deciding that he could sort it out later and would gladly deal with Harley's complaints of mess if it meant pissing the guy off, Drew nabbed the last bar of caramel chocolate and headed out again.

Another factor that contributed to Harley's overall unnatural being: he, the man in the relationship, made more of a fuss over the house being untidy than Solidad did.

As he explored the city of Viridian, Drew noted how simple and plain it was. Still, it was nice. Everything was nicely set out and so far he had seen several stores, reminding him to pick up Solidad's 'limited edition' perfume which he had forgotten to get at the docks. Whoops. He could see why Solidad and Harley had chosen to reside here for the time being. It was peaceful. It was also relatively close to Celadon and Saffron, which made things a whole lot easier in regards to the wedding preparations.

Speaking of which, Drew wasn't here for luxury. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a list of all the odd jobs that Solidad had instructed him to do upon arriving.

_1\. Flower arrangements_

_2\. Pick up the dress_

_3\. Wedding cake adjustments_

_4\. Little Harley prevention miracle pills_

_5\. Make sure that the shoes have come in_

_6\. Double-check the venue_

The only things that Drew considered doable at the current point in time were jobs one, three, four and five. The dress and venue were in Saffron and Celadon, respectively, and seeing as he didn't feel like travelling again, he picked number five. Solidad could get her contraceptives herself, and the cake could be done another time. Tomorrow, probably.

Flowers weren't really something he was in the mood for.

Wracking his brain for the address, Drew began walking in the direction that seemed like it would lead to some form of shopping area. All of that stuff was usually placed together, right? It was then that Drew realised how little he actually knew about shopping, but how many shoe shops could there be?

As it turned out, a lot.

By the time he'd happened upon the eleventh one and still hadn't come across anything like Solidad had described, Drew had almost given up. There weren't even any white clothes or accessories that remotely wedding-y in sight. He groaned and ran a hand through his hair, flopping down onto the nearest public bench and contemplating just grabbing a random pair of white shoes from the next store he came across.

"Excuse me, are you okay?"

Drew looked up to see a friendly, albeit concerned-looking girl standing in front of him. She had short brown hair and green eyes a shade or so different from his own, and was carrying what appeared to be a heavy box.

He smiled. "I'm fine, thank you. Just a little lost."

She nodded her head in sympathy. "I take it you're not from around here, then. Viridian can seem like a maze if you aren't used to it."

Drew laughed. A maze was right. He'd been past the same street at least three times by now, and still hadn't found what he'd been looking for. He suddenly cursed himself for his stupidity and realised that this probably would have been over and done with an hour ago if he had of thought to just stop and ask for directions. It wasn't like there was a lack of people or stores or _shoe stores _to seek help from.

"It certainly seems like it. Do you think that you could help me find a store? It's supposed to sell wedding shoes," Drew questioned, and felt relief wash over him when she nodded.

"I think I know the one you're talking about. Actually, it isn't too far from here," she explained. "I can take you there if you'd like?" He almost thought his neck would snap by how fast he nodded in acceptance, and the girl laughed again. "I just need to get this back to my cafe first, if you don't mind. It's just around the corner."

Drew held out his hands and offered, "Here, let me carry that. It's the least I can do."

She was about to protest but he quickly lifted the box out of her arms with ease, and she was more than a little grateful for it. "Thank you. I'm Leaf, by the way. Leaf Green."

"Drew Hayden," he replied.

The two made small talk on the way to her cafe. True to Leaf's word, it was only a few shops down and the shoe store wasn't very far, either. She'd questioned him about the wedding, to which he'd told her about Solidad and Harley, and how he was going to be there for the next few weeks. She ended up entering the store with him and, clearly seeing that he knew absolutely nothing about the semantics of shoes, managed to complete the order without making him look like a total idiot. Well, almost.

"Well, I need to be getting back to the cafe. There's somebody I'm meant to be meeting there. Are there any other places that Director Leaf can help you with?" Leaf asked, earning a laugh from him.

"There are a lot, actually, but this is all I plan on doing today," Drew replied, an expression of dread crossing over his features. He pulled out the paper and gave it to her, watching as she slowly nodded.

"I know where all of these are. At least the one's located in Viridian, anyway. Just stop by the cafe if you need any help." she told him, handing the list back over.

Score! He wouldn't have to wander the streets looking like a stalker from now on... provided he could manage to find her cafe again, of course. Leaf held the bag of shoes up and he took it, thanking her for all of the help and saying that he would definitely stop by her shop again in the near future. Saying their goodbyes and receiving directions back to the apartment, Drew turned and began to walk back when Leaf called back to him.

"Drew! You said you were going to be here for a few weeks, right?" He nodded. "Are you interested in working? I could always use an extra hand down at the cafe, and I'll give you good money for it," Leaf offered.

He paused for a moment. The money would definitely be useful; he'd had to take time off of work without pay, thanks to his boss refusing any form of cash flow or temporary leave pay. It would also give him an excuse to get out of the house and far away from Harley, which would put a dent in Solidad's plan for them to bond or some crap.

Drew had absolutely no desire whatsoever to become buddy-buddy with Harley, and he was fairly sure the man held similar feelings.

"That would be great," Drew told her after a few moments, seeing her ease at his acceptance. "I've worked in similar environments before so you won't need to train me or anything. I make a mean cappuccino."

Leaf grinned. "That's great! Swing by tomorrow sometime and you can get started. Don't get lost on the way there."

Drew laughed and waved and she turned and made her way in the opposite direction. Maybe this whole wedding thing wouldn't be as unbearable as he'd thought.


	4. To Play the Fool

**Chains**

_Chapter Three ~ To Play the Fool_

Ash held the door open for Misty, struggling to contain his pure elation at finally having the chance to see her after so many years. It was a Sunday, thankfully, so they would have the cafe to themselves. Leaf wouldn't mind; her and Misty had been friends for a long time, so it wasn't as though he was letting a stranger in. Although she probably_ would_ strangle him for not letting her know that Misty was back sooner.

Shaking the thought off, Ash decided to just focus on the present. He could deal with Leaf later. He just wanted to spend time with Misty for now.

"Are you sure it's okay to be in here, Ash?" Misty asked.

He nodded. "Yup! This place belongs to Leaf, she won't mind."

Misty looked him questioningly and asked, "I thought Leaf lived in back in Pallet Town?"

Ash hesitated before replying. Leaf's departure from home was a rather touchy subject, to say that least. He'd forgotten that Misty had been abroad when everything went down between Gary and Leaf. He wasn't too sure on the specifics of the situation himself, but it wasn't something that Leaf was even comfortable with discussing. Instead of telling Misty all of this, he just shook his head.

"She moved a few years back and opened this place. A lot has changed while you've been gone," Ash replied, walking behind the counter and turning the machines on. They were surprisingly warm, which probably meant that Leaf had already been here today. That was odd. Sunday was her day off. "You want a hot chocolate with extra milk, whipped cream, and chocolate powder right? No marshmallows."

Misty was surprised that he remembered. "Yeah," was all she managed to answer, and Ash laughed.

She looked around the shop and marvelled at how quaint it was. Leaf really know how to decorate. Her eyes landed on the far wall, and she stood up to walk over and get a closer look. Photos were everywhere, all framed and documented with the year and a small description. One particular photo caught her eye, however. It was one of her and Ash standing outside of Professor Oak's lab when they were younger.

They were still children, and she was holding up a perfect daisy chain while grinning widely at the camera, whereas Ash was pouting at his broken, bent attempt to put one together.

Misty still remembered that day. She'd ended up giving him hers and he'd smiled so bright she thought her heart would burst right out of her chest. They'd been so innocent as children. Suddenly, she wished that they could return to those days, back to a time and place before all of this had happened. Before she'd had to break his heart and leave him in order to pursue her swimming career.

"So what have you been up to, Mist? Ash asked, searching around in the cabinets for the ingredients for their drinks. The two dirty mugs confirmed his suspicions of Leaf having been by, but it didn't answer why. She never came to her store on Sundays. He could always ask later, he supposed, but it still made him curious.

Misty continued to scan the wall of memories while replying, "Well, like I said I've only just gotten back to Kanto. There are a few things that I need to do in Viridian that are work related, but I'll be here for a few weeks. Maybe a month, even."

It wasn't a lie. She really did have to stay in Viridian, but the amount of time was unspecified. Rudy didn't have to know that. Neither did Ash. She could drag out her visit for at least a month before needing to return, or at the very least postpone her work by another week or two. Paul wouldn't complain. He, just like her, was in no rush for her to return home to Rudy.

He'd probably be thrilled at the prospect of Ash Ketchum being in Viridian City. Well, as close to thrilled as the asshat could be, anyway.

"That good. That's great, actually," Ash replied, and she didn't fail to catch the hope in his voice.

Misty felt a small sliver of guilt. She was being selfish, very, _very_ selfish, but she couldn't find it in herself to care as much as she should. It wasn't Rudy she felt guilty for; it was Ash. For that, Misty only felt worse.

"What about you, Ash? What have you been up to?" Misty quickly asked, desperate to overlap the thoughts swirling around in her mind.

Ash grinned. "A lot! I moved down here a while ago because of the amount of work Professor Oak needed me to do in Gary's absence. Personally, I think he sends me here so often because he wants somebody to keep an eye on Leaf. But I don't mind. It's pretty cool in Viridian and there are tons of animals and stuff. The volunteer work is really nice, too."

Misty couldn't help but smile. He always did manage to find the positive in every situation.

"It's also convenient to have a friend who runs a coffee shop," Ash continued, finishing up the drinks he'd been making and bringing them over to a table. "You learn a thing or two and there is a lot of free food involved."

"Of course you'd manage to find something to do with food," Misty remarked fondly. Ash chuckled, taking a sip from his mug as she walked over and took a seat herself.

She picked up the cup and took a small sip, noticing Ash watching her intently while gauging her reaction. She made a noise of surprise, taking a larger gulp before setting the mug down.

"This is really, really good, Ash. Leaf has taught you well," Misty complimented him.

He opened his mouth to reply when the chiming of the bells on the door rang through the air, and the two looked over to see Leaf walking through. "Ash? I thought you were at the sh- Misty? _Oh my gosh_!"

Ash winced as the two girls literally squealed in delight. Misty practically leapt out of her chair and bolted towards an equally ecstatic Leaf, who caught her in a hug.

"It's been so long!"

Leaf laughed in delight, not quite being able to believe that her long-time friend was right in front of her. The two began animatedly chatting about their respective lives, leaving Ash quietly sipping his drink and watching the two in amusement. Even though he initially had come here to spend some time with Misty, he was more than happy seeing her and Leaf gossiping like old times.

All that was missing was Gary. He didn't dare voice his thoughts, though, instead leaving the two to talk. Eventually, Leaf turned her attention towards him and frowned. Ash gulped.

"And why, may I ask, did you not inform me that Misty Waterflower was back in Kanto?" Leaf demanded. "Keeping her all to yourself, I assume."

Ash felt the blood rush to his cheeks. "Hey! I only found out she was here less than two hours ago. I was_ going_ to tell you after we'd caught up," he defended.

Leaf rolled her eyes and Misty stifled a laugh. "Sure you were. Whatever, I just came by to unload those coffee beans. Would you mind giving me a hand, Ash?" Leaf asked, and he sighed before obligatorily rising from his seat and following her behind the counter.

Misty didn't bother hiding her snickers this time, earning her a playful scowl from Ash. She walked over and began helping them unload the beans into various cupboards, promptly glaring at Ash when he threw a loose coffee bean at her from the bag he was loading into one of several machines. Before she could retaliate, however, Leaf whacked him over the head with a dirty cloth.

"No throwing food in my shop!" Leaf ordered, and Misty poked her tongue out at him.

It was then that Misty looked up to see the clock on the wall and realised the time. "Crap! I need to get going. It's been amazing seeing the two of you again, but there are so many things that I need to get done."

Ash's face fell momentarily, but he quickly recovered and gave her a smile. "Yeah. It was nice seeing you too, Mist."

Misty really, really didn't want to leave. But still, she had obligations and they needed to get done. An idea suddenly hit her, and she grabbed a nearby napkin while reaching into her pocket for a pen and scrawled her number down. "Here," she said, holding it out to Ash. "So we can keep in touch."

He stared at the napkin for a few moments before Leaf rolled her eyes and took it for him.

* * *

Dawn smoothed her skirt nervously, looking around for anything to calm her nerves. Fidgeting was always a habit when she was anxious. For one, Gary still hadn't left her any messages to let her know that he was okay. What on Earth would his grandfather think of her when he heard that she was the reason for his abrupt departure from Sinnoh?

She'd made a trip to the bar earlier to speak to Jimmy, and... it hadn't gone as well as she'd hoped.

Jimmy hadn't heard from Gary either. When she had confessed about their argument and the true reason behind it, he didn't look shocked. Not even a little. All he'd said was, "Ah, so he finally told you."

And if that hadn't made her feel worse in a million more ways, Dawn didn't know what would. She left her contact information and got out of there as soon as possible after that. Now it was time to do the exact same with the_ Professor_ of this region, although with slightly less detail. She could only hope that word hadn't reached him yet about their fight, because a lecture from a sixty year old man was the last thing she needed.

"Dawn! What a pleasant surprise," Professor Rowan greeted, giving her a smile partially covered by his large moustache.

She mustered up a bright smile. As long as she acted normal, everything would be fine.

"Hello, Professor Rowan," Dawn returned.

He chuckled. "What brings you here? Did Gary ask you to pick something up for him?

She flinched. If _only_ it were that simple. But it didn't seem like Professor Rowan knew about Gary's disappearance or their fight, which was obviously a good sign. Then again it also meant that he hadn't been home yet. That meant he could still possibly be in Sinnoh.

"Not quite, but this does have to do with him," she admitted, twisting her fingers nervously. "You see, I haven't heard from him for a couple of days. My friend is having a wedding in Kanto and I'm the maid of honour so I _have _to leave immediately, so I just wanted to stop by and request that if you do hear from him then please let me know."

The Professor was silent for a few moments. Dawn gulped.

"Of course, Dawn. If I hear anything I'll let you know," Professor Rowan obliged, a somewhat worried smile curling from his lips. "Does Professor Oak know?"

_I certainly hope not._

"I haven't told him," quickly continuing after seeing his look of disapproval, "I don't want him to worry. If there still isn't any news by the time I reach Kanto then I'll give him a call. If Gary stops by please let him know that I'll be back in a few weeks."

Professor Rowan sighed, but nodded his head in agreement. "Very well. Have a safe trip, Dawn."

She gave him one last smile. "I will. No need to worry!"

And with that, she quickly turned on her heel and walked away. As soon as she had safely left the lab and was far enough for anyone to see her, Dawn allowed her smile to drop. Why did it have to be like this? Why couldn't they have just continued on like they always had? She was perfectly content with her current lifestyle, thank you very much, despite whatever implications he had spat out during his rage.

Besides, it wasn't like he could talk. Gary spent the majority of his time with her at those clubs, and when he left it was only to keep on drinking at h-

Oh. So_ that's_ why he always accompanied her.

The thought made her feel sick. He watched her for years while she was with other men_ right in front of him_. She felt awful. Angry nonetheless, but still awful. Dawn hated seeing her friends sad, and Gary was one of her best friends who was sad _because_ of her. She'd told the Professor that there was no need to worry, but she really couldn't have been more worried about him.

Where was he? She just wanted to know that he was okay, the he was safe and not slowly dying in the wilderness or somewhere in a dark alley. Anything could have happened. He was as much to blame for all of this as she was, but Dawn really didn't want to see him hurt.

She loved Gary. Really, she did. But it wasn't in a way that could ever tie them together like he wanted. Ironic, considering she was the one who had hurt him the most. Gary was, and although she knew it was cliche, like a brother to her. He was_ family_. She wasn't ready to settle down yet and neither was he. God, she didn't even have a steady career.

A thought made her stop cold in her tracks. Career... was that the reason he'd chosen to stay in Sinnoh instead of going home? Because he'd been in love with her?

Dawn was sceptical, but in hindsight it really did make sense. She felt the tears begin to well in her eyes and let out a shaky breath. There were so many questions that she just didn't have the answers to. The timing was horrible, too, considering May and Brendan's wedding had came up literally the day after their spout. Perhaps it was more of a blessing than a curse? It gave her the opportunity to go away for a while and clear her head, after all.

With that in mind, Dawn strengthened her resolve. It didn't matter that she didn't love Gary. He was important to her, but if he was going to let her rejection be the end of their friendship then that was a choice he had to make. She wasn't proud of the things she'd said, but it wasn't as if his words hadn't hurt her too. Right now she had to be there for somebody who needed her more, somebody who deserved the world and had only ever received the opposite.

And that was just what she was going to do.

* * *

"Yes, I'm okay. Yes, the apartment is amazing. Yes, the boat ride was safe," Misty drawled on, only half paying attention to the voice on the other end of the phone.

She hadn't intended on calling Rudy until tomorrow morning, but when she'd checked her phone in the cafe to see the flood of messages desperately requesting a call, she couldn't refuse. It wasn't annoying, but she really wished that he could have waited a few more hours. At least until she'd gone home. He was sweet like that, and it wasn't that she didn't appreciate being cared for, but Misty really just wanted some time to herself for a while.

Although he was good to her there were times when she couldn't help but feel like it wasn't right. The worst part was that she was meant to be in love with this man.

You were supposed to crave your partner, supposed to want to hear the voice. Misty had never felt any of that with Rudy. Not once. That wasn't to say that she didn't genuinely care for the man, though. He loved her. As much as she hated to admit it, Paul had been right yesterday on the boat: she did not love him in return. But that wasn't the main reason for her current frustration.

Seeing Ash again had been unexpected, to say the least. It just felt wrong talking to the man who was her fiance when thoughts of another man plagued her mind. For the most part, she'd just been halfheartedly answering whatever it was that Rudy asked her. She did feel bad that she wasn't making much of an effort, but that could be excused for being weary from travelling.

Misty didn't know what was worse: the fact that she was always able to lie to him so easily, or the that he was never able to tell.

_"-done in about a month or so,"_ Rudy happily relayed, blissfully unaware of the internal war raging within her. She realised that she hadn't actually caught anything but the last part, and felt a little guilty.

"That's great," Misty replied. She hoped that was the right thing to say. When he laughed and continued talking, she allowed herself to have a mini-victory.

Not that it was really anything to celebrate.

"_I miss you so much, Misty. I really can't wait to see you again."_

Now that was something she'd heard, and it rang through her ears clear as crystal. Misty bit her lip. She didn't exactly miss him, per se, but if she could convince herself that she missed his company and his cooking then maybe it wouldn't be so bad of a lie.

"I miss you too," she said back, hoping that he would buy her next words. "Look, I really need to go. Paul screwed up the flower delivery so I have to reschedule and they close in a few minutes."

_"You're letting Paul handle the flowers?"_

Misty let out a forced laugh. "What can I say? He's just so sweet and pretty."

Rudy gave her a real laugh. _"You always make me feel better, you know? I'll let you go then. I love you, Misty."_

His words were always so pure and honest and endearing and it took everything she had not to loathe herself. Misty hated doing this to him. But if she could accept his kisses and his proposal, she could love him all the same. It wasn't a lie, she told herself. Rudy had filled the emotional void that had been left gaping wide open. He was good for her, good to her.

But each and every time he'd try to get a little closer, she'd push him away. They'd been together for over two years and hadn't even had sex, for god's sake! Wanting to wait until marriage was a feeble, flimsy excuse and she knew it, but he had nonetheless accepted her reasoning without question. That was one of the things that she_ did_ love about Rudy.

He was so willing to make her happy, to just _be_ with her. It almost made her want to scream in frustration. Why did he have to be so perfect in every single possible way and yet still be unable to make her fall in love with him? Rudy was attractive. Very attractive, actually, which had been part of the reason she'd been so surprised when he'd first spoken to her.

It had built up over time, starting with little outings until he'd finally mustered up enough courage to ask her on a proper date. Being the hopeless romantic she was and seeing it as an opportunity to get over Ash, she'd accepted with a second thought. It should not have been this hard. The road to love was never smooth, and nobody knew that better than Misty, but it still shouldn't have to be like this.

He'd been sweet. He'd been kind. He'd been patient. He'd been so fucking perfect and she deserved none of it.

At times, she almost wished she could hate him for it.

"Love you, too. Bye."

But most of all, she was ashamed in herself.

* * *

"So, Misty Waterflower has just got to Viridian and you're already hearing wedding bells, aren't you?" Leaf teased, watching Ash continue to glue his eyes on the door long after Misty had already left.

He didn't reply, still keeping the dreamy expression clouding across his face. Leaf resisted the urge to take a photo and immortalise the moment because he looked so damned ridiculous, but she decided that it was funnier to watch and wait.

"Yo, Earth to Ash. Wake up!" She clicked her fingers in his face, snorting when he finally gave a sign of life by snapping out of it and nearly toppling out of the chair. "Real manly, Ash."

He glared at her. "Hey! I can be manly. Just last week I changed a light bulb."

Leaf rolled her eyes and waved Misty's number in his face. "Do forgive me, o' manly one. It must've slipped my mind when you froze and forgot the basic functions needed to take a slip of paper."

Ash turned bright red, eyes casting downwards to the paper in mention. He reached out and snatched it from her while muttering something incomprehensible, leaving Leaf with a million dollar smile on her face. Really, he was so simple. But she was still glad for him. Maybe now that Misty had come back he would be happier again, and they could sort things out.

Lord knows that it was all Ash would think about throughout the duration of her stay.

They hadn't exactly left things messily. It had been a clean breakup, despite the fact that lingering feelings still remained. Leaf wasn't sure where Misty stood on that front, though she hoped that they could fix it. Ash didn't like losing people. That was part of the reason why he was so adamant about her friendship with Gary, although that was also partially because he felt guilty that he hadn't been present through most of it before Gary left for Sinnoh.

Wait. Shit. _Gary_.

She'd asked him to meet her back at the cafe in an hour because she had deliveries to attend to and he was better off making himself acquainted with the city until she was done. If Ash was here and Gary was due back at any moment then things were about to get tricky, because she absolutely no explanation to any and all questions that Ash was going to ask.

More prominently, the fact that Gary had no idea who she was.

Oh, and that he was staying with her until he could sort things out with the grandfather she was supposed to know nothing about. There was also the lovely part about them meeting again on a ship after five years and waking up next to each other without any clothes on. Then he had followed her like some sort of stalker. How in the world was she supposed to tell _Ash_?

"Hey, Leaf? Why is there some dude trying to break into your shop?" Ash questioned, and she snapped her head up to see Gary peering through the door. When he realised that he'd been noticed, he grinned and waved at them. "And why is he waving at us?"

Leaf groaned. She was _not_ prepared for this. Not at all.

"Wait a minute," Ash went on, and a cold flush swept over her body. He'd noticed. "Is that... Is that Gary Oak?"

Perhaps this would be a good time to escape and live life among the wilderness. That could work. Nobody would be able to find her there. Best of all, she wouldn't need to deal with this mess of her own making that was quite literally banging down her door. Before Leaf even got a chance to reply or collect her thoughts, Ash had bolted up and opened the door.

"It_ is_ you!" Ash cried, sticking a finger in Gary's face in an accusing manner. The boy in question only widened his smile and whacked Ash's hand away.

"It's nice to see you too, Ketchum," Gary said, his tone sarcastic but also sincere.

How was she going to play this off? It would have been a lot easier if she could just talk to Ash first and tell him that Gary didn't know who she really was, but then that would also involve giving a backstory. Maybe she could just knock them both over and make a run for it?

Leaf shook her head. This was no time to think of the possibilities, because she had to be careful. There was only one outcome that she needed to work out in this situation, and that was Ash not blowing her cover. She only hoped he'd be too dense to pick anything up.

Ash turned to Leaf, a small frown on his face. "You didn't tell me Gary Oak was back in Kanto," he mimicked, and she remembered her previous accusation of him keeping Misty from her.

Leaf shrugged and replied, "I was busy."

Gary sent her a knowing smirk, one that very nearly made her red from head to toe in embarrassment at the implication of what 'busy' really meant. Not that Ash would understand, of course, but it was still enough to make her want to die on the spot. All she needed to do was word her sentences in ways that could be interpreted whichever way. Double meanings. Small sentences. So far, it was working rather well.

"Man, all we'd need is Leaf here and the Pallet Trio would be complete," Gary said, turning back to Ash.

Until he just had to go and open his mouth, that is.

Leaf froze, watching as a confused expression dawned over Ash's face. He looked towards Leaf and then back at Gary. Oh no. This was not good. He was going to give her away any second now.

"What are you talking about, Oak? Leaf-"

"Don't tell me that you don't remember her," Gary joked, but then his face darkened slightly. "Or did she stop talking to you, too?"

Ash was incredibly, truly confused right now, to say the least. He glanced back at Leaf who looked away, biting her lip. That was the exact opposite of what she'd told him, but it was the truth. She knew that she wouldn't be getting off easily for this. Ash would definitely corner her later and make her explain everything. But for now, Gary was oblivious and Ash seemed to be smart enough to see that he needed to keep his mouth shut. Just to test it out, though, he faced Gary again.

"So you haven't seen or heard from Leaf at all?" Ash questioned slowly.

Gary shook his head. "She stopped calling me three years ago. I've tried to contact her, but my calls never went through and none of my messages were answered. I never knew why, but I just sort of accepted that she didn't want anything to do with me."

Leaf could practically see the pieces in Ash's head coming together.

"I see," Ash said quietly. He didn't look at her, which meant that he was either really angry or just really confused.

Probably both, Leaf thought, and she couldn't blame him. She only hoped that he'd leave it until later and not right now or at any point that Gary was around. Ash could be dense and, yes, she would readily admit that he was an idiot when it came to some things, but he wasn't stupid. She was both fearful and grateful for this factor.

"And how long have you two known each other?" Ash asked again, gesturing towards Leaf who decided that it would be best to stay as silent as possible.

Gary tilted his head. "We've only just met, Ashy-boy. I think there's something not quite right in that hollow head of yours."

Ash didn't say anything. He could sort of see what was happening here, but at the same time he wanted an explanation. There were a lot of things that him and Leaf were going to talk about later and even if she didn't want to, he deserved an explanation.

"Right," Ash muttered. "So how exactly did the two of you meet?"

Leaf choked on air. Gary gave her a shit-eating grin and laughed, which only caused Ash's confusion to increase. Was he missing something here? Apparently so, but he could tell that Gary was as well.

"Let's just say we had a mutual interest," Gary replied, stifling his laughter. Leaf glared at him. "Hey, that reminds me. You never did tell me your name."

That caught her off guard. Ash raised an eyebrow and she gave him a look, one that, thankfully, seemed to get her message across. He kept his mouth shut and instead waited in anticipation for her response. Gary appeared to do the same, although with more genuine curiosity. Leaf stood up and began clearing away Ash's mug to hide how uncomfortable she was.

"Call me whatever you like," Leaf replied, forcing herself to not look at either of them.

"I don't believe I've heard that name before," Gary teased, before tapping his chin in thought. "I think I'll just call you Green, then."

Ash broke out into fits of laughter, earning him a scowl from Leaf. He apologised and coughed into his hand, but it was still obvious that he was enjoying this way too much. If she weren't so scared, she would have found it funny too. But that wasn't the case and Gary was seriously way too unobservant for his own good.

"What's so funny?" Gary inquired, wondering why Ash was practically crying from laughing so hard and Leaf looked incredibly indifferent to it all.

Ash shook his head, letting out a few shaky breaths and wiping his left eye. "Nothing, Oak. It's just really, _really_ ironic."

Leaf flinched and sent him another scowl, which only prompted another round of stifled laughing from Ash.

Gary shrugged. "It's the first thing I noticed about you. Your eyes are green, and your shop is called Green's Beans, so why not?"

Why not, indeed?

* * *

Come Monday morning, Drew trudged through the streets of Viridian, recognising various objects and stores from the previous day to help him navigate the way to the coffee shop. He sent a silent thanks to Leaf for all of her help. Without her, he definitely wouldn't have found the shoe store until the wedding had come and gone. It was nice to know there were still good people in the world.

It was nice enough that Leaf had helped him venture over town to find a pair of shoes without having any obligation to do so, but now she was even giving him a temporary job that was cash in hand. He suspected that it was also for her benefit, too, but he wasn't about to complain. Money was money. Spotting the bus stop they'd passed on their journey when he'd helped her carry the box of coffee beans, Drew took an immediate left. He was glad that it was in walking distance otherwise who knew where he'd end up.

Barely a minute later and his destination came into view, so Drew began walking a little faster.

Soon enough, he had arrived at Leaf's cosy little shop and peered through the glass door. He spotted her over by the far wall setting some chairs up and gave a light knock to get her attention. She snapped her head up in surprise, but recognition and a smile soon replaced that and she quickly made her way over.

"Thanks for coming by. I wasn't expecting you here so early," Leaf greeted.

He chuckled and stepped through the door, replying, "I figured that if I'm going to be working here I might as well make a good impression."

"Smart man."

She shut the door and flipped the sign over to display 'open', before ushering him over to the counter. As he'd mentioned to her yesterday, he'd already been acquainted with the operating system of beverages. If he was completely honest, it was more the offhand experience with the dodgy machine at Solidad's parent's restaurant back in Hoenn when they were really busy, but Leaf didn't need to know that.

She went through the basics and showed him where everything was stocked, telling him to just call her over if he had any issues or problematic customers. According to her, there weren't very many very often. Despite the size of Viridian, most of its inhabitants were generally patient and nice people. As long as he didn't spit in their drinks there shouldn't be anything to worry about.

"Do you have any questions?" Leaf inquired, eyeing her watch and noting that people would start filing in very soon.

Drew shook his head. "Nah, I think you've pretty much covered everything. Unless there are any freeloading rats taking up residence in the cupboards that I don't know about?"

She rolled her eyes in a playful manner, but then her joyful mood seemed to turn somewhat sour. Drew gave her a confused look before his attention was caught by the sound of the bell, and he peered back over his shoulder to see two men that looked around their age. Did she knew them?

"We don't have any vermin living in the store, but that one is more than questionable," Leaf muttered, gesturing towards Gary.

Drew turned around to get a better look at the boy in question. Aside from the snarky grin on his face he seemed harmless enough, but judging from Leaf's shift in mood and current look of distaste, he guessed that the two knew each other. His companion also seemed to be normal, even somewhat oblivious to the tension between the two.

Gary walked up to them and leaned against the counter with one elbow, giving Drew a quick glance. "Cheating on me, are we? I'm hurt."

Leaf flicked a dirty washcloth at his face in retaliation, causing him to splutter and wipe the stray piece of cake that had landed on him on Ash instead. He looked delighted at the prospect, something that quickly drew Gary's attention and caused him to quickly remove the offending smear before he would actually eat it. Drew raised an eyebrow at and decided that he wasn't completely there in the head.

"Aww, I was gonna eat that!" Ash whined, staring at the bit of cake longingly.

Gary chose to ignore him. "So, who is this anyway?" he asked, nodding his head in Drew's direction.

Leaf scooped out a small slice of chocolate cake and placed it on a plate before answering, "This is Drew. He's going to be working for me starting today. Drew, this is Ash," she said, sliding the plate over to said boy. "And this is Gary. He's my... friend, I suppose."

Judging from the shit-eating grin Gary was giving her, Drew had a hunch that 'friend' wasn't the right word. Still, he had no desire to get involved with any of their business. He was only here to make some extra cash. That being said, a source of entertainment certainly wouldn't_ not_ be welcome. He gave a brief nod of the head in display of a polite greeting towards Gary, who did the same.

Ash probably would have too if he weren't so occupied with his chocolate cake.

"What are the two of you doing here, anyway?" Leaf inquired.

"I wanted to stop by to ask what you wanted for dinner tonight," Gary replied, surprising everyone in the room bar Ash, who had already been informed of this when the two had left yesterday to go and catch up.

Leaf had been terrified of what Ash could potentially slip, but when Gary had arrived back at her apartment that night nothing had changed. She gave Ash credit for that much, at the very least. She still owed him an explanation, but she figured that could wait until later. Right now, however, Leaf was more terrified at the prospect of Gary cooking and burning down her kitchen.

"There is no way in hell that you are cooking in my house," Leaf stated firmly, crossing her arms in defiance. She'd let him into her home, but she'd be damned if he was going to lay one single finger on any of her cooking equipment.

Drew watched the two throw arguments back and forth in amusement, deciding that he was definitely going to like working here if it meant seeing this every day. It was nice to get out and be surrounded by a different environment. Not that Solidad's house or Hoenn was bad, but it was certainly lacking in the fun department. Between himself and Harley it wasn't like there was much call for it.

A lot of that, admittedly, was Drew's own fault. He hardly ever made an effort to communicate unless spoken to first.

Still, it was a nice change of pace. He didn't know these people and they didn't know him, which meant that they didn't know his past. They wouldn't pity him. He could be safe here and use it as an escape, a place to come to and be around people that could not make him remember things that shouldn't be remembered. Nothing in Viridian reminded him of back home.

For that, Drew was more than grateful.

"-nd I pinky promise that I won't use more than one pot," Gary pleaded.

"I said no, Gary," Leaf snapped, continuing before he could waste anymore of her time, "I'm going to have customers any minute now, and you are being a massive disturbance."

Gary sighed and held up his hands in defence. "Alright, alright! I'm going. Ash was gonna show me the shelter, anyway."

They gazed back at the previously forgotten boy who was currently licking the plate clean. Leaf gave Gary a smug look, while the latter only muttered something and ran a hand through his hair. It was moments later that Drew found out why. Ash bolted upright with wide, shining eyes, pushing the plate towards Leaf and literally jumping out of his seat.

He bounced around on his toes, excitedly making his way over towards the door. "I forgot about that! C'mon Oak, you're gonna love it!"

"I _will_ get you back for this," Gary hissed at her. Everybody who knew Ash Ketchum knew that sugar was their worst nightmare if they planned on spending more than five minutes with him, and Leaf had just stuck a hyper Ash on him for the entire day.

"Toodles, Gary!" She snickered, waving her fingers mockingly. "Oh, and if I come back and find out that you've moved a single spoon, you'd better be ready to say goodbye to your hands!"

Gary didn't reply or even bother looking back, instead sending her a mock salute to show that he'd gotten the message.

"Was it really a good idea to give him cake?" Drew spoke up, eyes trailing after a very energetic Ash.

Leaf shrugged, bending down to open the fridge. "It isn't my problem. Gary can deal w- oh, shoot! We're out of soy milk." She groaned. "I'm so sorry, but I need to run down to the shops and get some. You wouldn't believe how many residents here drink soy."

Personally, Drew couldn't understand why. He wasn't about to question it though; Leaf obviously knew the people around here and how her shop functioned a lot better than he did. Soy milk was disgusting with a capital 'D'.In fact, it was right up there with carrots among the the things he detested. Carrots. Soy milk. Roses. Cacti. Spring. Clusters of anything. Other than that, he wasn't fussy.

"Don't worry about it. I'll be fine while you're gone," Drew assured her.

Leaf smiled in relief and shut the fridge, shoving Ash's plate in the sink before hurrying over to the door. "By the way, we're supposed to be having a flower delivery some time this morning. If she shows up while I'm out then please just leave them behind the counter. Thank you so much for this! I won't be long."

And with that she was out the door, leaving Drew to his own devices. True to her word, it wasn't long before people started filing in. The numbers weren't enough to be overbearing and he'd had enough experience with this type of work to not feel pressured, but he could certainly see why she'd asked him to help her out. It was still nice, though.

He could definitely get used to this.

Everyone was friendly and their orders were simple. Other than a few who were disgruntled over the milk situation, he had no other issues. Leaf was right though: a disturbingly high amount of people liked soy milk. Drew was able to deal with them easily enough, using his natural charm and smooth words to persuade them to try something else or to simply wait for the owner's return.

It was quite relaxing, truth be told.

During a quiet moment, when everything had somewhat died down and there was nothing but the chatter of people echoing throughout the room, Drew wondered what kind of flowers Leaf had ordered and whether or not they'd arrive before she did.


	5. To Play With Fire

**Chains**

_Chapter Four ~ To Play With Fire_

"Dawn! It's so nice to see you again," Brendan greeted cheerfully, sweeping her into a hug.

She dropped her bags on the front steps and laughed, eagerly returning the gesture. It had been about two hours since she'd arrived in Kanto, and right now having a warm embrace was extremely welcoming. Carrying three very full, very _heavy_, bags on two different busses was something she wished to never experience again. Well, at least not until the wedding was over.

"I'm glad to see you too, Brendan," Dawn replied, giving him a light squeeze before letting go. "Congratulations, by the way."

The beam that instantly spread across his face was almost comical, and she had to restrain herself from laughing. It was cliche, but she really did feel as though his face would probably split if his smile were any wider.

"Thank you, Dawn. I can still barely believe it myself," he admitted. A faraway look swept across his face, and Dawn felt a pang of guilt slice through her.

Brendan was so pure. He was so innocent, so amazing in every way and really, she had no right to judge or oppose this marriage. He'd been so good to May. Even after all her friend had been through, Brendan had never once given up or abandoned her. Not for a single moment. Maybe he was just masochistic, but Dawn knew that he was totally and completely in love with May Maple.

That was something none of them had ever doubted for a second.

But it was also for that reason that she couldn't agree, could not find it in herself to fully accept the decision May had made. Dawn knew that May wasn't ready for this. Brendan knew it, too. Hell, even May knew that she wasn't ready for this, but they were still going ahead with it anyway. Not that she held it against him for agreeing to it, of course. He had been waiting for years.

The poor boy was so wrapped up in finally having the chance to claim his princess and that wasn't something Dawn wanted to take away from him. The only problem was that the princess had never been his to take, and if she had her way, she never would be. He wasn't supposed to be the prince in this fairy tale. That title belonged to once person only, and that person was not Brendan Birch.

And that was why Dawn pitied him.

But this was up to May, not to her, and she wasn't going to meddle in places that should have been laid to rest a long time ago. So for the sake of her best friend, she would deal with any negative or doubtful feelings she held and be strong, be supportive. May needed that right now.

"Where is the lucky lady, anyway?" Dawn asked, feeling tremor of excitement bubble through her chest.

It had been months since they'd last seen each other, and Dawn was only too eager to pounce on her friend and attack her with a hug as soon as possible. Brendan bent down to pick up her bags for her, and she didn't protest. Just another thing she'd learned to accept about him, because he would do it anyway and it was pointless arguing with him. Really, he was far too considerate for his own good.

"Ah." Brendan gave her an apologetic smile and gestured for her to walk inside. "May is at work right now. She'd planned to make herself completely free to see you again, but forgot about this delivery. It's only the one so she shouldn't be long."

Dawn felt disappointed, but giggled nonetheless. That was so typical of May. She was such an airhead, even at the best of times.

"That's alright. I can wait a little longer," she replied, and he smiled back.

"Anyway, it's been a while since you've seen us. Come and put your stuff upstairs and then I'll make lunch," Brendan offered.

She nodded and began to follow him upstairs, feeling a weight carry with her in every step that she took.

...

.

...

_"I'm sorry, Dawn. All I've been told is that Gary is currently in Viridian City. He refuses to tell Professor Oak his exact whereabouts,"_ Professor Rowan relayed.

Dawn pinched the bridge of her nose. Of course he went to Kanto. Why didn't she think of that sooner? That's exactly what she would have done if somebody rejected her after being in love with them for four years. Come to think of it, that_ is_ exactly what she'd done when Paul and her broke up. She'd ran straight to Hoenn and cried in May's arms for an entire week.

It was meant to be for a lot longer, but then_ that_ had happened and she'd decided it was better to leave.

But back to her current situation. Dawn knew it would be hypocritical to say that Gary was being dramatic or overreacting for leaving Sinnoh. What else was one meant to do when they had nothing left? Kanto was home for him, and home offered comfort.

"Don't worry about it, Professor," Dawn replied. "Thank you for letting me know."

_"Not a problem. I hope everything is going well. I'll call you if I hear anything else, but until then please stay safe and just enjoy yourself."_

"No need to worry!" Dawn chirped back, promptly ending the call before she could be further interrogated. Other than May and Jimmy, she hadn't told a soul the truth about why Gary had abruptly left.

And she certainly didn't plan to.

Besides, right now there were far more pressing matters to attend to. Her and May were currently in Saffron City to pick out the latter's wedding dress, and that was an activity that required Dawn's full, undivided attention. All other thoughts would just have to wait. So far, May had tried on seven different dresses and, while looking downright stunning in every single one of them, not one had been _right_.

Dawn absolutely refused to have her best friend look anything less than the very definition of perfection. That meant finding something that suited both her and Brendan, but it would be done. No doubt her adoring fiance would love her in anything, probably even in pyjamas, but this was Dawn Berlitz and there was no way in hell she was going to let May be a sliver less amazing than she could possibly be.

Not to mention the trip there had involved catching three different busses. If they were going to travel all the way from Viridian to Saffron they were going to damn well make the best of it.

"Dawn?" May's voice rang out from behind the red velvet curtain, and she quickly sprang to her feet.

"What is it? Are you having trouble getting it done up?"

May let out a silvery laugh at her friend's concern. "I'm fine. I have a really good feeling about this one."

Dawn sank down into her seat again, tapping her foot impatiently as she waited for May to come out. They'd been there for nearly two hours now. Trying on dresses was far more of a challenge than one might believe, especially more so than May had predicted, but Dawn knew that it would be worth it. It had to be. May might not have been marrying the man everybody thought she would, but this was still special.

And Dawn wanted to make it count. Brendan deserved a happy ending just as much as May did.

It seemed like an eternity before May finally pushed the curtain aside and stepped out, but oh, when she did, Dawn found herself almost unable to believe how utterly flawless she was.

The dress was a simple one, and yet it was incomparably perfect. The backless corset was designed in a sweetheart neckline with tiny crystals spanning across the edges, and had no straps. The puffy, flowing skirt had silver sparkles scattered just below the waist, shimmering every time May span a little and they caught the light.

She was breathtaking.

"Isn't she just the vision of perfection?" the bridal consultant, Serena, gushed.

Dawn only managed to nod, still half entranced and in disbelief at how amazingly stunning the dress looked on May. This wedding was definitely going to be a major success. Brendan's jaw was going to hit the ground if it was the last thing Dawn ever did.

"I love it! Do you like it, Dawn? Please tell me you do," May nervously rushed out, wringing her hands together and twisting her body to get a better view in the mirror.

If Dawn's smile could take up her entire face, it would have. "It's absolutely perfect. You _have_ to get this one. I think don't we're going to find anything better!"

May beamed, doing a little twirl and watching in wonder at how the crystals glimmered. Dawn was glad to see her friend so happy. May smiling, truly smiling, wasn't something that she got to see very often anymore, and not just because they lived in separate regions. There was simply never much for her to be happy about. But just being here made Dawn feel as though everything would be okay.

Maybe, just maybe, it would all work out in the end. Maybe the wedding wasn't such a bad thing after all.

Serena squealed in delight, quickly jotting something down on her clipboard before looking at her watch. She frowned for a moment, turning to May apologetically.

"I'm very sorry, Miss Maple, but it appears that I have another appointment," she said. "It won't take long! The client is only here to pick up a dress and then I'll be right back to attend to you."

May let out a small "uh huh" to show that she'd heard, although they could both easily tell that she was in a whole other world. Serena shook her head and smiled, giving Dawn a brief nod on her way past. Dawn sat and watched as May continued doing little dips and twirls all over the wooden flooring, laughing each time she nearly tripped over her own two feet.

They stayed that way for several minutes, with May dancing around and giggling and eyes training on the dress in wonder while Dawn wished the moment would never end. The clicking of Serena's heels eventually sounded in the near distance, and Dawn stood up to ask a question before realising that she wasn't alone.

"If you'll just step this way, Mr. Hayden, I'll fetch your dress immediately," Serena instructed, at last coming into view.

And that was when the illusion of a fairy tale moment shattered into a million pieces.

Trailing ever so slightly behind Serena was none other than Drew Hayden, and Dawn's very blood ran cold upon seeing him. This was bad. This was very, _very_ bad. May still had yet to notice him but Drew had definitely noticed _her_, and he froze, eyes going wide at the sight of the girl he hadn't seen since she'd ran away three years ago being right in front of him.

Serena had not picked up on the tension either, too busy walking over to another room to find what Drew had come for. Dawn's mind went blank. What the _hell_ was she supposed to do? Why did he have to be here? Why, when May was finally happy and looking more alive than dead did he have to appear in the last place he should even be?

"Hey, Dawn? What do you think h-" May's sentence was replaced by a strangled mixture of a gasp and choke, her hand flying to her mouth as she finally caught sight of Drew in the mirror.

She spun around on reflex, dress swishing out behind her to pool at her heels. Suddenly, the shining crystals didn't seem as alluring, weren't as captivating anymore. The three stood in complete silence, with Dawn in the middle and having absolutely no idea what she could say or do in this situation.

Drew hadn't changed at all. He was still the same, albeit a little more defined in the face. His reaction was hard to gauge. Dawn was unsure whether he was just shocked or pissed off, because his eyes were hard and his jaw was set in a straight line, but there was also something else. Something that almost looked like heartbreak but couldn't have possibly been.

May had torn his heart to shreds years ago, right after he'd broken hers.

If this had been any other person, any other time and place, it could have been a fated meeting. It was almost cruel at how ironically perfectly imperfect all of this was. The long-lost blushing bride, seen by none for years and all dolled up, standing radiantly before the prince who had come to her rescue, to claim her as his own and steal her away from the evil knight.

Because May Maple was an exiled princess and Drew Hayden was the dethroned prince and Brendan Birch was anything but a dark knight, anything but the villain in their story.

* * *

"Gramps, please. I am an adult and am perfectly capable of making my own decisions," Gary snapped.

_"That doesn't excuse your behaviour, Gary,"_ Professor Oak admonished. _"It was irresponsible of you to leave like that."_

Gary gritted his teeth. He was a full grown man and the last thing he needed was damn lecture, especially from his grandfather of all people. It wasn't like he hadn't called as soon as possible. There were other matters, ones that were far more appealing than dealing with facing discipline, that he'd been more focused on. Matters such as avoiding his grandfather and, by extension, this very conversation.

Another other was pissing off Green.

"Whatever. I'm not going back to Sinnoh, and I know that Dawn's already asked you to get information on me so you can tell her just as much."

From his end, Professor Oak sighed. _"Gary, Dawn is just worried about you."_ Gary scoffed. _"We all are. Why aren't you in Pallet Town?"_

He glanced at Leaf, who was idly pretending to read a magazine but obviously listening in on his conversation. Honestly, he truly had planned on going straight to home. That's what he'd told his grandfather yesterday, anyway. But he found himself unwilling to leave Viridian just yet. Not because of Green, no. It wasn't some case of being weirdly attached to her in the span of two days.

Gary was terrified of facing the truth.

Did he want to see his only living relative? Yes. Did he want to admit he'd taken rejection too harshly and was embarrassed as hell? No. Going home would mean that he would have to own up to why he really left, and Gary didn't think he could handle what was sure to come afterwards. It also entailed Professor Oak forcing him to speak to Dawn.

He didn't want to talk about it. Not to them, anyway. Ash had been an exception.

Love wasn't something that just went away. It took time to build, time to forge itself on different aspects and qualities that one person found endearing. A broken heart did not equal a love lost. While he was angry with Dawn, he still loved her. He wasn't ready to face her either. Not physically and not emotionally. She was too caring and pity was one of the things he loathed above all else. The disappointment, the disapproval...

The damn _sympathy_ was not what he needed, and sympathy was all he would get.

What was more, he felt like he had betrayed her on some level by sleeping with Green. It was stupid and Gary knew that he had no obligation to feel like he did, but that didn't make it go away. The fact that he didn't even_ remember_ the event made it all somehow worse. He'd slept with a girl whom he did not love, on an occasion which he did not recall despite his best efforts, and felt horrible because the girl who he _did_ love but did not love him was still special.

His life had become one big contradiction as of late.

"Look Gramps, I don't think I can come home just yet," Gary admitted, not missing the way Leaf's head shot up. "I'm staying with a friend."

_"I won't tell you how to live your life, Gary, but this needs to stop. You can't keep on being be so careless. You've been neglecting your research for years and now this-"_

"We went through this yesterday. I already understand and have accepted the consequences of my behaviour, now I need everybody else to understand _my_ need for space," Gary interrupted. "I'll be there when I'm ready. Oh, and please tell Dawn to stop keeping tabs on me. Bye."

And with that, Gary hung up the phone and tossed it carelessly across the carpet and not caring where it landed. He felt a little remorse for the way he'd spoken to his grandfather, a man who had taken him in when there was nobody else left to do so, but the whole situation was getting to him. It didn't help that Professor Oak hadn't even denied Dawn's involvement, which only served to make things worse.

She was the only person that he wanted more than anything to see and yet the last person on Earth who he wanted to be near.

Leaf remained quiet through all of this, allowing Gary to sit in silence and just mope instead of bombarding him with questions. She was curious, yes, but his personal matters were of no concern to her. Not anymore, anyway. The friendship they'd once shared and feelings she'd once held were no longer relevant. There was only one real question that she wanted to know.

"So, " Leaf began, setting the magazine on her lap. "Where exactly are you planning on staying during this life-discovering journey of yours?"

Gary shifted his gaze to focus on her. As much fun as it was seeing her reactions towards him being a douche, and as much as he'd like to spend more time with her, he couldn't impose forever. He'd told her that he would be out of her hair in a few days. It wasn't like they were particularly fond of each other, although he'd freely admit she was interesting.

They weren't friends. More acquaintances, he supposed, despite how she had introduced him to Drew.

"Dunno yet," he replied and leaned back into the recliner. "I'll probably crash at Ash's for a while."

Leaf nodded and went back to reading her magazine. It was slightly confusing as to how much she genuinely seemed to not care where he'd come from or wasn't nosy in the slightest about why he was here. Surely she'd gathered enough from his behaviour and conversations to realise that something bad had happened. He knew she wasn't _that_ oblivious.

He wondered what kind of burdens she shouldered to make her not question what clearly called for questioning.

"Aren't you going to ask what happened?" Gary blurted out. Leaf looked up from her magazine with a perplexed expression, and he continued, "most people would have asked by now."

"What happens or has happened to you isn't any of my business," she replied simply.

He gave her points for that. Still, not many people would have reacted in the same way she was. Humans had a tendency to get involved whether it was their business or not. Was he really that boring? Or was Green just that polite? He internally snorted at that, immediately debunking the theory. Sarcastic maybe, but not polite. She _had_ been kind enough to allow him into her home, though.

Right after he'd, you know, already kind of overstepped his boundaries by violating her bed on the boat.

Whoops.

"Tell you what, my dear Green," Gary went on, "I'll make you a deal. You let me cook dinner, and I'll tell you about the tragic events that sent my life spinning out of control."

Leaf gave him an impassive, almost bored expression. "That doesn't seem like much of a deal."

"Oh, come on! It'll be fun. Besides, you get to hear my little secret," he insisted.

"I don't recall asking."

...

.

...

To Leaf's immense surprise Gary was actually a pretty good cook.

She'd been extremely suspicious and hesitant at first because really, Gary Oak cooking? If he'd told her he could cook five years ago she would have laughed in his face. It was still rather tempting, but the heavenly smells that were now invading her nose convinced her otherwise. Plus it also didn't seem as though any of her kitchen appliances were in danger, so Leaf let it be.

She was getting dinner _and_ a story. What more could a girl ask for?

Plenty of things, when she thought about it. Like her childhood best friend remembering her. Or maybe even a little normalcy in her otherwise jumbled life. Would that be too much to ask for? Apparently so, she decided, considering Gary was currently in her kitchen, cooking her dinner, all the while believing her to be somebody else. Oh, fate, thou art a heartless bitch.

All of that aside, it looked like she was finally going to be getting some answers. It was partially out of respect for his privacy and partially for her own sake that she had not demanded anything from him. He was a chapter of her life that had long since past, and Leaf was well aware that delving back into that particular arc would make returning from it that much harder.

But they weren't friends and this was just dinner. She was only doing what he wanted.

Provided he didn't kill her via food poisoning, that is.

Stir fry wasn't an easy thing to screw up, but their little trio had a history of making the impossible possible. Especially when it came to food. She still had nightmares from the time Ash had attempted to roast a watermelon and she didn't even want to_ think_ about what had gone down with those carrots. It had left all of them pretty scarred.

Leaf was pulled from her thoughts when Gary banged a bowl of his "marvellous creation", as he'd put it, on the bench in front of her. Ignoring the complacent look on his face, she gave it an experimental sniff and eyed it cautiously. It didn't _seem_ to be tainted or of the poisonous variety. He groaned at her reservation and mistrust, shoving a fork into bowl.

"Do you really not trust me? I mean, what kind of person is cruel enough to ruin noodles?"

She gave him her best deadpan and reached out to grab the fork. After determining that indeed, Gary was not plotting to murder her with mouth-watering food, Leaf had no qualms about eating. Well, other than perhaps his smug satisfaction.

"Told ya I was good," he boasted, sitting down on the stool next to her with his own bowl.

"I never said that you weren't," she pointed out.

Gary chuckled, and for a moment she truly believed they were going to have a nice and quiet dinner without having to talk about pasts or anything of the like. It wasn't that she didn't want to know what had happened to Gary back in Sinnoh, because she really did. But Leaf was afraid that he would also be prompted to bring up _her_ past. That was something that she was definitely not comfortable with discussing with_ him_.

"So, a deal is a deal," Gary announced. "Ask anything you want."

She paused. This 'deal' wasn't much of a bargain, especially to him. He was the one who had to cook and tell her things that were supposed to be closely guarded information. Heck, he hadn't even felt comfortable telling his grandfather. It was almost like he was giving her no other option than to hear him out. Why would he be so adamant in-

And then it hit her.

She was safe. To Gary, she was Green. Green was a stranger, somebody who he'd never met before and thus nothing more than temporary.

Because she'd already assumed that the only other person Gary would tell is Ash, and the latter wasn't exactly renowned for his advice. Professor Oak was family who would no doubt give him grief for whatever he'd done. Dawn was clearly at the root of all this, so Gary obviously couldn't go to her. That left Green. With this in mind, Leaf did not put up an argument and instead gave in.

"Why did you leave Sinnoh?" she asked.

He'd been expecting that, but it was still difficult to speak about. It took him a few moments before answering, "There's this girl, Dawn. You would have heard me mention her. We met when I originally left Kanto to continue my research in Sinnoh four years ago, and I ended up staying there for her."

Leaf sucked in a breath. Although her feelings for Gary were long gone it still stung a little to hear about Dawn, about things that she already knew, but it was something she needed. This was good. This was closure. If she heard it from him rather than his grandfather then it would make it easier.

Gary let out a bitter laugh. "I was in love with her. Still am, actually," he continued, "we would frequently go out to this one club and it always played out the same way: her leaving with another guy and me drowning my sorrows in alcohol. One morning everything just sort of... it blew up. We had a massive fight. I told her I loved her and kissed her."

Ignoring the lump in her throat, Leaf nodded slowly rather than trusting herself with words.

"She kissed me back then told me that she didn't reciprocate my feelings. I already knew that, but it still hurt like a bitch. Then... Then she let slip about her old boyfriend. Someone who treated her like absolute shit but she was still never able to get over him. Admitted that she still loved him. I walked out and you pretty much know the rest," Gary finished, a dark look clouding his eyes.

Leaf didn't know what to say. She didn't even know what to think. Whatever she'd been expecting, it certainly wasn't _that_. So it was true that he'd been in love with Dawn, then. At least his confirmation had eased her ache, even if only a little. In some ways it was worse knowing. The microscopical bubble of delusional could officially be popped now that she had no reason to deny his feelings any longer.

"I'm sorry," she offered lamely, knowing that it was of no consolation.

Gary shook his head. "It was my fault to begin with. I knew that she didn't see me as anything more but I still tried to push my feelings onto her."

"Hey, don't blame yourself. Not completely. There isn't anything wrong with loving someone, Gary. What_ was_ wrong is that you expected her to do the same," Leaf told him. "But you couldn't have kept it bottled up forever. It obviously wasn't healthy for either of you."

It was then that she realised the advice she'd given Gary was also meant for herself; her words were what she wanted to hear long ago.

"No kidding," he muttered.

"I think that you should take some time to sort out your feelings, though. You aren't wrong for wanting space," she assured him.

Gary pushed the bowl of stir fry away, the smell suddenly making him nauseated rather than hungry. "I already know how I feel. I'm angry because she rejected me, because I still love her. I'm pissed off at myself but at the same time I want to blame everything on her even though it's my fault."

Leaf managed a sad smile as she told him, "Then there's your answer. If you still love her then you need to tell her. You already know what her answer is going to be, and she's probably just as hurt and confused by all of this as you are. Taking time is okay, but you're going to need to face Dawn eventually, Gary. I'm sure she's just as upset as you are."

He nodded slowly, understanding dawning across his face. They remained in total silence for several minutes, the two content with not saying a word and keeping Leaf's words hanging in the air.

Eventually, Gary spoke quietly, "I left my best friends behind for her, you know."

Leaf felt her breath hitch. There were only two, three if you counted Misty, people that he could possibly mean by that, and one of them was _her_. She bit her lip. Now could be her only chance to really find out how he felt about her. Obviously it wasn't anything close to what he felt for Dawn, and the thought relieved Leaf, but there were still things she wanted to know.

No, there were still things she_ needed_ to know.

But she couldn't give anything away because then her identity would be blown and he would know she was Leaf. She'd need to ask as Green, be perceptive and use only information he'd willingly given in front of her.

"People from Pallet Town?" she fake-guessed, not surprised when he nodded.

"Ash is one of them. That girl in the photo, Misty; she's another. There's also somebody else but you wouldn't know her. I didn't see any photos of her on the wall and Ash didn't seem to be eager to talk about her," Gary said. "I regret it. I regret leaving them behind without saying anything."

Leaf stayed silent as he recounted more to her, not wanting to interrupt. She was scared that he'd stop and she'd never find out.

Gary went on, "I guess it doesn't matter anymore, though. She cut me off years ago."

She flinched, and dearly hoped that he wouldn't notice. Swallowing thickly, she built up the courage to ask, "Do you hate her for it?"

Gary looked at her in surprise. For a moment, just one moment, she felt a cold flush run through her. She thought that she'd been caught out. But then he sighed and ran a hand through his hair, and Leaf knew he hadn't noticed anything. Just like he'd never noticed anything else about her.

"No, I don't hate her. If anything I hate myself for letting it get to that point," Gary admitted, and she fought to smother the small amount of joy that crept up at his words. "At first I was confused, but as time went on I understood. I realised that it was what I'd been doing to all three of them. More than anything, I wish that I'd tried harder."

Leaf desperately wanted to hug him, to tell him that she was right there and that she forgave him. She almost did, too. But she knew she couldn't. Because if she did then he _would_ hate her, hate her for real this time, and she had already received her answer. She'd learned early on in life that nearly everything came with a price. If this overwhelming feeling of incredible guilt was what she had to pay, then so be it.

Gary then smiled and wholeheartedly murmured, "Thanks for listening, Green."

Leaf couldn't bring herself to say anything, so she smiled at him in return and covered her internal anguish by shoving a forkful of stir fry into her mouth. It had long gone cold by now, and she wanted to laugh at the irony of it all. There were so many symbolical words and metaphors that practically screamed everything about this 'relationship' that the two had lately, and it was nearly enough to make her give it up already.

But she didn't. She couldn't, and so instead Leaf forced herself to choke down what she'd inadvertently created.

"Dawn never really did. It was nice to tell somebody other than Ash," Gary revealed. Ash was a competitor in this game. He was a part of it. Green was on the outside looking in, meaning that she could not be bias or brush off his apologies. "I really felt like you understood, you know? It's like I've known you forever."

Oh, if only he knew how much she wanted to tell him how true that was.

"Are you going all mushy on me, Gary?" Leaf teased, finding herself unable to put her heart into it.

"Don't get used to it." Gary chuckled, pushing himself off of the stool and grabbing his untouched bowl of food. Once he got to the other side he stopped, hesitating for a moment before putting it down again.

He bit his lip, something Leaf recognised and a habit only done when he was troubled. Gary never bit his lip or made any other sort of common giveaway unless he was really, _really_ deep in thought or emotional. Tonight had no doubt been a mixture of both, and not just for him, but now that they were done talking about everything she wondered what he could possibly have to be anxious about.

Then Gary looked up and stared into her eyes. "Hey, Green? Sorry for being a burden. I really am grateful for you putting me up, I haven't felt this comfortable with a person in a long time," he told her sincerely. "I won't be bothering you for much longer."

Leaf didn't know whether it was the heat of the moment or how honest he'd been. Maybe it was guilt over abandoning him for abandoning her, but her mouth opened and the words poured out before she'd even had time to register them.

"You aren't a burden, Gary. You can stay," she offered quietly, so quiet that he almost didn't catch it.

But he did, and for the first time in years he felt as though someone truly understood him.

* * *

One moment she was in pure bliss, immersed in her own fairy tale, and the next Drew Hayden was standing right in front of her.

May hadn't been sure whether he'd been part of it at first.

Leaving him behind had been the hardest thing she'd ever done. Nobody could ever tell her otherwise. Drew was, or had been, anyway, the one person in the world whom she cared about the most. She'd never meant to hurt him. But even one look at him, through all of the shock and confusion and guilt that had coursed through her at once, she knew that she wasn't the only one hurting.

"What am I going to do?" May whispered, clutching her hands close to her chest.

It had been over an hour since Drew's unexpected appearance in the bridal shop, and all she could feel was utterly distraught. He hadn't said anything upon seeing her. All he'd done was stare, burn her with his gaze until Serena returned with the dress he'd come to claim. She, thankfully, was oblivious to the tension in the room. May hadn't spoken up at the time either.

It all happened so fast.

"What am I supposed to do, Dawn?" May repeated, shaking slightly. She didn't expect to receive an answer and they both knew just as much, but it was all she could muster.

The tears were falling freely now. Other passengers on the bus were staring, but May hardly paid them any mind.

Dawn only shook her head, opening her mouth to say something but the words just wouldn't come out. Neither of them knew how to react. It had been years, three to be exact, since they'd seen each other. What exactly was one supposed to do when the man they'd loved unconditionally but abandoned suddenly appeared again?

Drew was the man who broke her heart.

She'd never meant to break his in return.

Even so, May had no idea what to do next. Since when did Drew live in Kanto? He was never one for travelling away from Hoenn, and she would know. He'd always insisted on touring their home region rather than exploring a new one. So why was he in Kanto, let alone Saffron City for a wedding dress? Surely there were hundreds of skilled designers in Hoenn.

"We need to get you home," Dawn eventually said.

May gave her a horrified look. "No! I can't... I don't want to go back. N-not right now, Dawn, _please_."

She couldn't go back there, back to _Brendan_. He was already doing so much and the last thing he needed was to comfort her about Drew. It was a sensitive topic to begin with, and one they generally tried to avoid as much as possible; half for his sake and half for her own. And, even if it was selfish of her, May didn't _want_ Brendan right now.

She wanted Drew.

Impossible as it was, she wanted to talk to him. To see him, feel him and know that he was there, confirm he was alive.

May knew she had no right to even think of that considering what she'd done, but that was never how she'd wanted their next meeting to go. Granted, she didn't ever plan on seeing him again, but if it was ever to happen- and it did, so she was_ allowed_ to feel like this -it should never have gone the way it did. Everything she'd spent years building up felt useless.

She could pretend he didn't exist. She could act like it never happened. She could ignore the throb in her chest and immeasurable guilt.

But what May couldn't do was deny that him seeing her in that dress, a dress that wasn't for him, made her feel wrong.

The rest of the ride was nothing more than a hazy blur. Dawn continued to stroke her back and whisper words of comfort, but they both knew that it would never do much good. As per May's request, Dawn did not take her home, and instead May found herself in front of a small cafe with a sign saying "Green's Beans". Not that she really cared, of course.

May only wanted for everything to be okay again.

"Come on, it looks pretty quiet in there," Dawn coaxed, giving May a small smile and urging her inside.

Slowly, May shuffled inside and took a seat at the nearest table. She didn't really see who or what else was around her and she didn't quite care to know. Dawn watched on with sympathy, her heart aching for the girl that had been her best friend since before she could remember. The past three years certainly hadn't been easy on May. She couldn't imagine they'd been any better for Drew, either, but she hated seeing May like this.

May didn't comprehend when, but at some point a girl approached their table.

"Afternoon, ladies. My name is Leaf. I'm the owner of this place," Leaf introduced casually, eyeing May worriedly. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

May made no move to respond. In all truth, she'd barely even registered the girl.

Dawn turned to Leaf apologetically before replying, "Thank you, but I just think she needs a little time."

Leaf glanced back at May, deciding that she indeed did seem to not be aware, let alone evening listening to their conversation. Poor girl. Although as she wanted to help, there was only so much she could do. It wasn't like either of them were acquainted with her. Something about the way the girl with pretty blue eyes was staring at the table without blinking, almost as if she were in a trance...

She didn't think they would appreciate her trying to intervene. Even if it was for a good cause, Leaf knew when to respect boundaries and keep to herself.

Instead, Leaf merely nodded. "Would you like a warm drink, then?'

Dawn looked hesitant for a moment, but soon gave Leaf a warm smile and ordered, "I'll just have a mocha, thanks. May might have a hot chocolate when she..." Dawn trailed off, attention drifting back to the problem at hand.

"Now that I can do," Leaf told her, throwing her an encouraging smile before walking away.

All May wanted to do was cry.


	6. To Cross the Line

**Chains**

_Chapter Five ~ To Cross the line_

"What do you want from me, hairy demon?"

"Woof!"

"Misty, get if this miniature poof-ball does not remove itself from my presence we are going to have a problem," Paul remarked, glaring at the dog from the couch. It barked happily in response, unaware of Paul's distaste, continuing to wag its tail with glee. Misty laughed and scooped it up, giggling as it licked her cheek.

"Would you stop being a big baby? Look at how cute he is!" Misty gushed. She held the dog up admiringly while Paul glared in disgust.

"If by 'cute' you mean obnoxiously loud and annoying then yes, it is the cutest thing I've ever seen," Paul replied, the sarcasm not being lost on her.

Misty rolled her eyes and put the yet to be named animal back on the floor. Honestly, he was infuriatingly difficult to converse with when it involved any form of serious emotion. It _did_ come in handy at times, considering it was glaringly obvious their friendship never would've worked otherwise, considering their histories, but sometimes she wished he'd be just a little more _human_. On the other hand, it also meant she never had to worry about conversational boundaries.

Granted, sensitive was certainly something she knew herself to be. Easily offended? Definitely not. Paul may have been one hell of a cold bastard but some part of her took pleasure in his complete disregard of empathy at times.

Her avid sense of relying on herself and only herself had thickened her skin over the years, so knowing that he would never be a shoulder to cry on or whisper words of comfort had never bothered her. Misty had always been the sentimental type, but with Paul around he never gave her the chance to be. When healing from a breaking heart it'd been the best thing for her, really, because she'd never needed to wallow in self-pity. The past was a topic they made a point of not dwelling on.

It was good. It helped, because thinking of Ash Ketchum never did. With Paul being so emotionally unavailable she hardly had the chance to put herself in that position.

"I should probably name him," Misty thought aloud, causing Paul to raise an eyebrow.

"You mean you aren't waiting for the _darling_ husband-to-be? Not going to name it together in some cringe-worthy display of affection?'' Paul questioned. The smirk gracing his lips did not falter at her unimpressed expression.

"I'd rather not," Misty answered flatly. If anything, the thought of seeing Rudy again didn't bring forward pleasant thoughts. It should, but it didn't. She knew that in itself was wrong, but right now she needed time to think. She was going to marry him anyway. Wasn't that enough?

"Go take _it_ for a walk or something then. That thing is far too cheerful, it's disgusting," Paul told her, looking at the joyful animal distastefully.

"Woof!"

Misty grabbed a blue lease- the one that Ash had picked out for her -and began clipping the collar around the dog. It squirmed and let out happy cries, constantly licking at her hands and shaking its tail.

"My apologies. I forgot to inform the dog that no positive emotions are permitted within a one meter radius of you," Misty replied drily. ''Happy now?''

"Never," he quipped.

She snorted and began tugging the dog gentle towards the front door. "Go figure. Have fun at Leaf's cafe by the way, be careful not to let the good vibes kick start you heart," Misty yelled back as she slammed the door behind her.

Standing still for a moment to survey the area, she decided that a jog in the park should be suitable enough for the energetic little thing. It also meant she could get in some exercise. Taking off, it wasn't long before the dog began to fall into pace beside her and the two fell into an easy rhythm. Of course, nothing could ever go as planned and before she realised what had happened, it had already wiggled free from its collar and shot off across the park.

"Hey!" Misty cried, "get back here!"

Much to her chagrin, the animal was far too excited for his own good and did not slow down. It only wagged its tail and ran faster. Somewhere between the third park bench and nearly tripping over a well-placed rock, she realised that it probably thought of this as a game. She pushed herself harder to catch up and right when she thought all hope was lost, a man wearing a blue and white striped hoodie quickly scooped up the dog with reflexes she was nearly jealous of. Misty came to a halt, panting and trying to focus her vision on the creature now wiggling in the boy's arms.

Paul had the right idea; furry menace was a very good description.

"Geez, I know you've never been one for animals but I didn't know you were _this_ bad," the male said, laughing while scratching the puppy on the head.

"Hey, it isn't my fault th- Ash?" Misty squeaked out. She hadn't been able to see under the hood from where she'd been running, but standing closer his features and voice gave her everything she needed to know.

He chuckled. "In the flesh. Didn't think I'd be seeing you so soon," Ash replied, pulling his hood down with a lopsided grin.

"Well, you can thank the little runaway for that," she explained. "Apparently he doesn't like collars."

Even though her heart was racing- she attributed a large percentage of that to the fact she'd just been running -Misty was glad that they could have a normal conversation. When she'd first run into him at the pet shelter she wasn't sure what to expect. She'd never admit it, but the thought of him hating her was something she didn't think she could handle. As selfish as it was, Ash still held a special place in both her heart and mind.

First loves always are the hardest to let go of. Ash, though... they'd had something true. Something nobody she'd ever met had experienced because growing up with the love of your life wasn't comparable to anything else. Nearly every childhood memory involved him and they were all happy, and even though she'd been the one to tarnish all of that it was impossible to think of an Ash who pretended like that didn't exist.

It was a huge part of the million reasons she couldn't bring herself to tell him about the engagement. Ash made her confused, caused her to have mixed feelings. Swimming to the shore was impractical when you were thrown in the middle of the sea without a boat. Taking it one step at a time was reasonable, she argued, no matter how minuscule those steps may be. Rudy wouldn't like it. For that, she felt guilt gnaw at her, but she needed to be on friendly terms with the man she'd spent more than half her life with.

Being friends with Ash was good. It was a step forward. Just friends, nothing more. Despite what Paul so callously implied, she had moved on- for the most part. This would provide the closure she required to completely let him go.

"Most dogs aren't a fan of collars, despite their popularity," Ash admitted. "Here, I'll put it back on for you."

Misty forced herself to ignore the warmth of his hand as it brushed hers when she handed him the collar. They were always so soft, so gentle. The countless nights they'd spent together with him just holding h- _No_.

Those were bad thoughts. Good memories, but those were things she absolutely could not remind herself of. She couldn't go down that road again. Besides, he'd moved on. She didn't say anything while he attached the collar back onto her joyful bundle of fur, only watched as he successfully attempted to clip it back up. Smiling, Ash placed the dog back on the ground.

"There, he shouldn't be able to get out now," Ash told her, offering the leash back.

Misty shook her head and responded, "I think you should keep that for now."

Ash laughed and shook his head before gesturing to walk with him. "So, do you plan on catching up with anyone while you're here?"

She paused. For such a simple question there was a ridiculously complicated answer. Other than Paul and whichever services on her to-do list for the wedding, she hadn't really planned on taking the time to catch up with anyone from her past. Thought about it? Naturally. Kanto held too many precious moments to not think about visiting the people attached to them, but it was for the sake of practicality that she'd decided not to.

It just wasn't manageable to maintain a lie around that many people. Misty dreaded the thought of Delia Ketchum, the closest to a mother she'd ever had, finding out she was marrying a man who was not her son. Then there was the trouble of having to leave them all over again.

But now... Well, Ash had already made his way back into the picture so her initial plan was already six miles down the drain. That and she'd already ran into Leaf, too.

Shit.

"Well," Misty began, choosing her words carefully, "I honestly don't know. I hadn't really planned going out of my way to find people, if that's what you're asking."

Ash nodded, but his eyes flashed with disappointment. "Ah. So you wouldn't have come to find me, then?"

She flinched. The answer to that was a definite, absolute, resounding _no_. She would not have gone looking for Ash had he not happened to be working where she was headed that day. He'd been the first person on her mind and the last she wanted to see. His intentions were pure, Misty knew that much, but had she gone out of her way to track him down it would have began a long and painful journey down a road she didn't want to travel again.

"It isn't like that, Ash," Misty answered quietly. "I didn't come to Kanto for reunions. It wasn't like I was trying to avoid you, I just didn't think-"

"Don't worry, Misty. I understand."

Misty swallowed back guilt. "I figured it'd be best if I didn't look for you. It's been three years, I thought you'd made a life somewhere."

Ash tilted his head in surprise and answered, "Misty, no matter where I end up there will _always_ be room for you in my life."

And just like that, her resolve all but shattered. That one little sentence sent every functioning circuit of her brain into overdrive. That one little sentence is _exactly_ why she'd wanted to stay away, why she'd known she couldn't go looking for him. Those words set off everything Rudy couldn't- despite how hard he tried and how little Ash needed to.

Not knowing how to reply, Misty awkwardly cleared her throat and changed the subject. "I saw Leaf. Never expected her to own a coffee shop. She looks different."

He smiled fondly. "Yeah, I don't think anyone expected her to chop all that hair off," Ash replied with a chuckle. "She loves it here, surprisingly. I visit whenever I can."

"I hadn't heard from her since Gary dropped everything to move to Sinnoh,'' Misty said, a twinge of sadness accompanying the thought. She hadn't understood exactly why Leaf never bothered to contact her.

Ash's demeanour went sour. It was clearly a touchy subject, even for him. Complex for her too, as it'd all happened around the same time, really. Her and Ash ended things; Gary ran away to Sinnoh after some girl; Leaf dropped off the face of the Earth. You couldn't mention one without thinking of the others. It hit a sore spot with all of them. They'd all lost each other and went their separate ways without ever really meaning to, but it stung differently that Gary chose not to keep in touch frequently because he was too busy with a girl they'd never met.

All of them except Gary had their reasons for keeping to whoever the kept to. She couldn't speak to Ash for obvious reasons, and Leaf clearly had things she needed to sort through, but Gary... it was his choice to dial down on the messages and calls. He had no reason to. That hurt, more so than Misty cared to admit.

"Funny story that," Ash said, tone slightly bitter. "Gary actually came back the same day you did."

"What are the odds? I'm sure Leaf was happy to see him again," Misty said in surprise. This was news to her. The irony of the situation was not lost; the universe certainly had a unique way of screwing with them.

Ash frowned. "That's just the thing, Mist. I don't know what's going on with them.''

"What do you mean, Ash?" Misty asked.

He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "Gary didn't recognise her. He had no idea who she was, said something about how it'd be a reunion if Leaf was there then asked if she'd cut off contact with me too. I was under the impression Gary did that first."

"Wait, so _Leaf_ was the one who cut off contact with _him_?" Misty spluttered. As far as she was concerned, Gary had been the ass who dwindled down on the replies to all of them.

"Apparently, which means she's been lying to me," Ash told her. "Now I just need to figure out why."

Misty pursed her lips in thought. She had a hunch, a big one, in fact, but nothing she'd ever been able to confirm because Leaf never brought it up and neither of them contacted the other after she left. The last time she'd given it any thought, Leaf_ liked_ Gary. The only thing that didn't make sense is why Leaf would break ties with the person she had feelings f- oh. _Oh_. That's right, Leaf liked Gary and Gary left to chase another woman.

Leaf had feelings for Gary. Gary gave up everything to go with aforementioned woman to another region. It was almost too obvious and Misty wanted to kick herself for being so blind.

For a moment, she contemplated telling Ash just as much but ultimately decided it wasn't her place. If he didn't know then Leaf hadn't told him. It was probably for the best. Putting Ash in that position would only be awkward and confusing, Leaf must have known this already.

"Try talking to her, I'm sure she has a good reason," Misty said with a small shrug.

"It's gonna have to be one heck of a reason, because right now I'm lost," Ash replied, and she did not miss the annoyance in his voice.

Misty took a deep breath and said quietly, "Leaf probably needs time, Ash. Everyone has a reason for staying or going. I'm sure she's confused and hurting right now. It's never easy letting go of someone."

All boyish charm and innocence left Ash's face as he looked at Misty in a way she'd never seen him before. "Believe me Misty, I know."

* * *

Paul gave the wires one last check, confirming that everything was correct and not detrimental to the public's health. The last thing he needed was for the store to blow up. Really, how Leaf had managed to operate this place for so long without a single injury or complaint was beyond him. Pleased with his work, he carefully pulled the hatch back in place and made his way down the ladder- again, it was surprising it hadn't broken with all of that rust -to pack up his tools.

Lifting the box with one hand and wiping his brow with the other, Paul moved towards the door, pushing it open and surveying the area to spot Leaf. He caught a glimpse of her, and looked over to see her stacking a few chairs in one corner. She seemed to notice his sudden appearance because she glanced up, smiling as she set down the last of the chairs.

"Perfect timing! I was just about to check on you," Leaf greeted, untying the black apron that was compulsory for all workers.

Paul grunted, moving to set his toolbox down on a table. She smiled again and grabbed a cup from the counter. He assumed that it was for her, but then she began walking towards him and held out the cup. When he raised an eyebrow, she explained that it was coffee. He merely took the cup, giving her no response.

"So, how did you go?" Leaf asked eagerly.

He lifted the cup to his lips and took a small sip, relieved when it was drinkable- Misty's attempts at coffee had left him rather suspicious if it was anyone else other than himself who made it -and then lowered it once more.

"I have no idea how you lasted this long without repairs," Paul told her bluntly, and she gave him a sheepish laugh.

"I've been meaning to call someone in but I haven't had the time," Leaf admitted.

Paul made no change in his expression, but wondered if all of Misty's friends were just as careless- insane, really -as she was. Ash certainly had to be to survive a relationship with her. Then again, he himself must have been nuts to keep her company in Kanto and live with her.

He was the least batshit crazy, though. Everyone else was just an idiot.

"I was able to fix the wires. Anything else will need parts, so you're going to have to get those yourself," Paul said. "I'm not a charity."

Leaf nodded before replying, "I'll look into it. Thank you for this, Paul. I honestly have no idea what I would have done otherwise."

"Probably be charged with manslaughter from faulty wiring," he muttered, earning him another laugh.

If she thought he was joking she had another thing coming. He was Paul Shinji, and Paul Shinji did not joke. Why was it that people always seemed to find humour in his blunt, demeaning words? Or perhaps that was just a trait unique to the women in his life. Well, both past and present, anyway. Misty never failed to throw his words straight back at him and Dawn spent the majority of her time looking at things from the perception of pure positivity.

Now Leaf was too.

"If you could write down the parts here then I'll order them right away," Leaf stated, holding out a notebook and pen.

Fantastic. He'd been turned into a waiter. Next she'd be having him make coffee and clean tables.

Nonetheless, Paul set his coffee down next to the toolbox and reluctantly replaced it with the items she held out. The sooner he got this over with, the sooner he could leave. Quickly scribbling down the necessary requirements in what he classed as generally acceptable penmanship, Paul gave the notebook back to her, watching somewhat impatiently as she read it over.

"These shouldn't be too hard to find. Thanks again, Paul. I really appreciate this," Leaf said. Her smile screamed 'grateful' but his patience had been screaming at him since he set foot in Kanto, so all he wanted to do was go home and never be forced to socialise with any of Misty's chatty friends again.

Paul only grunted in response, grabbing his toolbox and coffee before she found another task for him to do. "Is that all?"

Leaf nodded. "I'll call you when the parts come in. Have a nice night!"

With that, Paul wasted no time in hurrying out the door and beginning the walk home. It wasn't too far, really, but he was somewhat terrified that the fluffy monstrosity that Misty insisted on purchasing had ruined the house during the few hours he'd been absent. All he'd wanted was to come to Kanto for the wedding. How did he end up getting roped into being a part-time repairman?

Oh, right. Misty and her damned mallet.

He winced at the reminder of the charming blue and purple decoration that had been left on his leg after her violent kick under the table yesterday. So what if he hadn't been polite? She knew it wasn't his thing to respond to cheerfulness or be cheerful in return. At least Leaf was paying him for it, though. A small walk and, even if annoyingly painful, bruise was worth getting some extra cash.

It also gave him some time to survey the city of Viridian. Well, whatever passed him by, anyway. Paul had absolutely no intention of going any further out of the way than need be. Soon enough he reached the outskirts of the actual built-up area and the buildings began fading into trees, the narrow path becoming windy as it twisted through the park that indicated he was almost home.

Paul would never admit it, but he did enjoy the calmness of dusk outside.

Something about it soothed him. The air with a slight chill, and best of all, no noise. Just peace an-

"Ash, slow down!"

"You'll never get 'em back if you can't keep up, Misty!"

Of course. Why not?

Slightly irritated at his relaxing, tranquil illusion being shattered, Paul looked over to where the offence was coming from. As he'd suspected, it was none other than his _dear_ Misty Waterflower causing the commotion. She was currently chasing after who he assumed to be the Ash Ketchum he'd only ever heard about- although Paul was certain he could write a book about the boy with how much she'd spoken of him -while said boy was running in the opposite direction.

_Good decision. Keep running,_ he thought to himself.

In tow of Ash was what appeared to be the abomination, or more commonly known as puppy, that Misty had brought home earlier.

Paul's negative mood quickly tipped for the better, however, because when Ash momentarily slowed down to avoid tripping over the mongrel Misty managed to catch up to him. During what was, in Paul's opinion, the worst tackle he'd ever witnessed, the two stumbled to the ground in a mass of mangled limbs. He briefly wondered if either of them had been hurt, but his question was quickly answered when Misty grinned and held up what looked to be chocolate bars victoriously.

And whilst watching the two of them, Paul came to the realisation that this was the happiest, and he meant _truly_ happiest, he'd ever seen Misty.

Maybe having Ash Ketchum around wasn't going to be such a bad thing.

But then he remembered reality and that even if this was how it was supposed to be, even though Paul wished she could always be like this, it wasn't going to be that easy. And though he smiled to himself and avoided being seen so as to not ruin the moment, he couldn't help but worry about the consequences it would bring. Because now the situation, despite being favourable in his eyes, was anything but perfect.

For now, he would just let things play out as they would. Ash was back. Rudy wasn't here. Misty was happy.

He only hoped it wouldn't go down in flames this time.


	7. To Falter At the Crossroads

**Note: **

**Paul and Misty's relationship is completely, totally platonic. He's an ass, she's one of the boys. She brings out his human side in a way that still makes him a condescending prick. It's fun to write. Don't sue me.**

* * *

**Chains**

_Chapter Six ~ To Falter At The Crossroads_

As soon as the door clicked open, Paul shot out his arm and reached for the lamp chord. It flickered to life and flooded the room with artificial light.

"I've been expecting you," he announced.

"What the fuck, Paul? You scared the shit out of me!" Misty screeched, terrifying the dog at her feet. "You scared Pikachu too!"

"Who the hell is Pika- please don't tell me you named that furry little menace Pikachu," Paul asked, unimpressed when she gave a sheepish nod as an answer.

'Paul' and 'talk' didn't belong together in the same sentence, so when he implied he'd been waiting it didn't bode well. They never really talked about anything, not seriously. They only poked fun and laughed at the expensive of the other. All comedy aside, he wouldn't have waited up to yell about her eating his leftovers. Paul Shinji didn't go out of his way to have a conversation.

Ever.

"Ash thought it was cute," Misty huffed, bending down to pet the little dog's head.

Paul stared for a moment before saying, "I saw you yesterday. With Ash."

''Because that isn't creepy as well,'' she muttered. Why couldn't the people in her life be normal? He scoffed at her reaction and flicked the lamp off with more attitude than any sassy teenage girl she'd ever crossed paths with.

''Don't flatter yourself. I have far better things to occupy my time with than watching you prance around like a pair of school children,'' Paul remarked. ''My concern comes from you arriving home after midnight.''

Oh. _Oh_. So that's what this was about. Paul wasn't one to give lectures, so the reason he'd put time aside to actually talk about her ex-boyfriend was strange. She certainly wouldn't want to get involved if Dawn magically popped out of nowhere. Although that was a whole other can of worms, because Paul hadn't cared to elaborate much but he did care to make it clear not to bring up the subject.

Misty winced. "I thought you said you were done meddling," she replied.

"That was before you went gallivanting off in the park with your ex-boyfriend," Paul pointed out.

''I'll have you know that I do not _gallivant_, thank you very much,'' Misty huffed. He'd seen them. Seen her and Ash. Not that there was anything to see, unless you considered two people playing with a dog as some thrilling spectacle for the ages. Her cheeks were colouring by the second at the accusation.

Paul scoffed. ''I don't care what you want to call it, you've never done anything like that with your _fiance_,'' he said, pronouncing the last word far more than necessary.

Misty tried to ignore the implications and channelled her embarrassment into a glare. She was always happy; _Rudy_ made her happy. He and Ash were complete, total opposites but that didn't mean she never enjoyed the activities he planned out for them. Hell, she wouldn't have agreed to marry him if she didn't at least like his company.

"For your information, I happen to find my fiance quite endearing,'' she pointed out.

''I wouldn't quite describe the fancy world Rudy Trovita lives in as endearing,'' Paul said, a hint of disdain on his face. ''You've certainly never appeared that happy at any of the lavish parties or private functions, and yet an afternoon in a park does wonders.''

Misty frowned. She chose to ignore the majority of what he had said when she replied, ''I haven't seen Ash in five years. It would be weird if I wasn't happy," she stated matter-of-factly.

''Being happy with an ex-boyfriend and content with your fiance? Plausible, given the circumstances... except you haven't told him yet,'' Paul said.

Misty froze. She knew exactly what he was referring to and she also knew that he was _right_, but her pride was a fickle thing. It reared its ugly, stubborn head at the worst of times, a simple reaction of defence due to years of growing up in a household where she was never good enough. Paul was right but her pride would not bend. She had her reasons and that was good enough, they made sense and for her that meant there would be no admittance of wrongdoing.

''When you find a way to casually mention your upcoming nuptials to your childhood best friend and boyfriend of give years, by all means, please let me know,'' Misty snapped. ''Besides, I don't see the point in telling him.

He raised an eyebrow. "You don't see the purpose of telling a boy, one you clearly still have an attachment to, that you're going to marry somebody else?" Paul questioned dubiously.

''A lifetime of attachment will always come with feelings but they aren't what you think they are. I just want things patched up, Paul. I'll be out of their lives for good soon and I need closure,'' Misty said.

"It doesn't have to be that way, you know,'' Paul muttered. It was quiet, she almost hadn't heard, and she had to stare at him for a moment to convince herself that she wasn't imagining things. For a moment, she could almost picture sunset skies in Pallet Town. She saw black haired babies with blue eyes and the life she'd dreamed of five years ago-

then reality hit and just like that the illusion shattered, because dreams were only dreams and it was too late to remodel a past she'd tossed aside to make way for a different future. Ash meant a lot to her, she didn't want to imagine a world in which he didn't. But he was her past, no matter how many afternoons in the park she spent with him or animals he helped her to adopt. Rudy was her future.

"That can't happen, Paul," Misty said quietly.

Paul scoffed, his rare display of humanity gone in a flash. "Why not? You don't love Rudy half as much as you value Ketchum."

"I can tr-"

"You can try but we both know it'll be a different kind of love," Paul cut in.

It was a different kind of love, she was painfully aware of that. She was selfish to stay but it would be cruel to leave. Too cruel, the ring which laid in her back pocket was proof of that. It symbolised a promise. An unspoken vow, one which would be brought to life by her own words at the alter. That was something she planned to honour.

''I can't go back to Ash. He's moved on, and I left him for a reason,'' Misty finally said. Her voice was shaking and her hands gripped the seam of her jacket tightly, as though she were afraid everything would fall apart if she were to let it go.

Paul grunted, his patience clearly wearing thinner with each passing moment. "With who? I haven't seen any other girls around, and you've done what you wanted to do.''

The event that transpired precisely a year after leaving flashed through her mind. She'd stupidly decided that she missed Ash and wanted to apologise, had to tell him the true reason for breaking things off so that she could spare his feelings. But then she'd seen him with another girl. She'd been paralysed, then. Unable to look away and for the briefest of moments, Misty contemplated walking over to the cafe they were in and pretending she hadn't seen them.

A stupid idea, she'd realised, when Ash reached up to touch the girl's short hair. The way he'd twirled it around his fingers was all Misty needed to see before making her decision.

That was the night she called Rudy with an acceptance to his invitation of a date.

"Whether there is one or not doesn't matter," Misty insisted, her voice determined. "I'm done talking about this. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go sort out flower arrangements for the man I'm going to marry."

* * *

Dawn hummed to herself as she strolled down the bustling streets of Viridian. Yesterday had been... interesting. Uncomfortable didn't do the situation justice, but it had certainly been an interesting turn of events. She glanced to the left to see May walking beside her, pace even with her own even if a little timid. Drew Hayden definitely hadn't been on the sight-seeing list. Momentarily, Dawn wondered what he was doing here.

More than anything she was itching to find out why he was present at a store that sold wedding dresses, of all places.

She doubted he was getting married anytime soon. Forever a champion for love, Dawn had always found herself particularly observant when it came to minor details. Details such as there being no wedding band present on his finger. That indicated he wasn't already married, and though grooms-to-be generally didn't wear an engagement ring, they also didn't usually see the dress before their wedding day. Heck, men normally didn't enter dress stores in the first place, let alone one that sold wedding dresses.

This ruled out several options, leaving the only logical answer being that it was for someone he must be close to. That _really_ made her think... Drew had never been especially close to many people other than herself when he was dating May. Even then, they'd never gotten along terribly well. They'd been friendly for May's sake, but otherwise Drew wasn't a person she could she knew all that well. They had both been important parts of May's life and that involved interacting with him from time to time.

Other than herself and May, there was Solidad, but-

Solidad. A giddy sense of excitement coursed through Dawn as she thought of her. She'd bet _anything_ it was Solidad. Drew may have been a charmer, but he was no social butterfly.

Solidad and... Harley? The thought made her shiver. She knew May always loved Solidad in the big sister type of way, and, being as receptive to positive emotions as she was, Dawn had naturally felt similar towards the older woman. Harley was just so unnatural. So weird, so... so disturbingly _green_.

The pang in her gut made Dawn question whether or not she was even allowed to feel happy for a woman who probably despised her now.

Dawn bit her lip in uncertainty. Upsetting as the past was for May, perhaps Drew being here wasn't such a bad thing. She couldn't avoid him forever and he _did_ deserve the truth. Brendan deserved a whole lot more. May and Drew had always been, and Dawn assumed they would always be, whether on good terms or bad, catastrophic. Brilliant, but chaos personified nonetheless. Their inevitable clash would be unavoidable which meant Brendan would be caught in the aftermath.

She tried and failed to reason that any secondhand damage would be of his own doing.

"This is the place, right?" May spoke up, slicing through Dawn's thoughts and bring her back to reality.

She looked up to see the coffee shop they'd been in the previous day, just as inviting as it had been before. Running away from her problems had never been her go-to response, but Brendan had been too smothering this morning and it was obvious to everyone in the room but him that May needed space. She was just too polite to ask for it. The cafe seemed like a decent suggestion, given that it was familiar enough. At least May would have room to breathe here.

"It definitely is!" Dawn chirped back, pushing the doors open and stepping inside. From behind the counter, Leaf looked up and smiled upon recognising them.

"It's nice to see the two of you again," Leaf greeted warmly. "Better circumstances this time, I hope?"

May answered, "I'm sorry about that. Thank you very much for yesterday. It was... a bit unexpected, to say the least."

Dawn didn't miss the way her friend winced at the memory, but she knew better than to bring it up. Positive thoughts. She needed to stay focused; they were here to get away. To her immense relief, Leaf only nodded and didn't push the matter further.

Instead, Leaf let out a small laugh. "We all have those days, believe me. Were you after the same order as yesterday?''

"That would be amazing," Dawn confirmed with a grin. "Could we also get two large pancake stacks with strawberries and chocolate sauce?"

Leaf tapped the register screen a few times and told them it wouldn't be too long. They thanked her, scanning the tables before picking out one right by the corner; the only one with a white orchid placed in the middle.

"So," Dawn began, trying to stir up some excitement. "Have you picked a location yet?"

May gave her a quizzical look before her eyes widened in realisation. It was then that it occurred to Dawn that she hadn't actually spoken about the wedding at all, even with Brendan's urging this morning. She felt a frown begin form in response to this knowledge and kept it at bay, knowing it would do more harm than good to point out. She might not be completely supportive of May's decision to get married, but the last thing she was going to sit here and do would be grate away at her best friend's decision.

It wasn't an easy one. Lecturing her about it wouldn't make it any better. All they could do was make the most of it. History, Drew and his terrible timing be damned, Dawn was going to make sure she put everything into making May as comfortable as possible with the process. The latter was never something she'd ever been able to find it in her to bring up, anyway.

May smiled. "We want it to be in Hoenn. I was thinking somewhere along the lines of Lilycove."

"Not Littleroot?" Dawn asked.

May shook her head and replied, "I know it's our hometown but Lilycove has better scenery. There's a lot more there for guests, as well."

''I suppose the beach makes for a better backdrop than the rows of identical trees,'' Dawn remarked with a laugh.

The sweet smell of pancakes and chocolate wafted to Dawn's nose, and the she followed the delightful aroma to notice Leaf standing at their table with two plates occupying her hands. She grinned at their optimistic reactions, placing the plates down and putting her hands on her hips.

"Here we are! One mocha, a hot chocolate and two pancake stacks with strawberries and extra _extra_ chocolate sauce," Leaf announced proudly.

"These look amazing!" May said with far more enthusiasm than one should when it came to breakfast, eyes widening and fork already in hand ready to devour the delicious treats.

Leaf scratched the back of her head sheepishly, cheeks turning pink. Dawn couldn't figure out why, but that action just seemed so familiar. Where had she seen it before? Unfortunately, she didn't get much time to dwell on it because May had already begun shovelling pancakes into her mouth. Dawn berated herself for ever having forgotten May's ginormous appetite, and along with it her unbelievably fast consumption of food.

"Ish sho grud!" May managed out with a mouthful of food, somehow finding room to gulp down precisely half of the hot chocolate as well.

Dawn turned back to Leaf with pink-tinged cheeks and offered an apology, "I'm sorry, she really loves food."

Leaf simply blinked in amazement at the sight of May, who was now licking the plate clean. She'd never seen anything like it. Dawn wasn't surprised; every time herself and May went out to eat it usually provoked a similar reaction, which was why she couldn't believe that she'd genuinely not remembered how impossibly fast her friend ate.

"I think she's set a new record," Leaf managed to breathe out, still a little awestruck. "Oh, shoot! My new assistant will be here soon. Let me know if there's anything else I can do for you ladies."

Noticing May's considerably better mood now that her stomach had been dealt with, Dawn decided that was time to bite the bullet. Drew was back and it was something that had to be dealt with. There was no way to bring this up that ended even remotely pleasant, but now, tucked into a corner on a full stomach and away from Brendan, it was as good as she was going to get.

"So, May..." Dawn said slowly, gauging her reaction, "I love wedding talk more than anyone, but there's still something I need to ask you first."

May instantly tensed. Dawn watched as she set the plate down on the table carefully, like a robot performing a programmed action. Drew Hayden was not a pleasant subject, not by any means. Reservations aside, he was _here_ and they couldn't ignore him forever. The case remained he had seen them, too. It wasn't like he was merely across the street when it happened.

If you considered the chances, weighed up all of the possibilities and likelihoods given their apparent common interest in weddings, she was sure they'd be seeing him again.

"You're going to ask me about Drew," May stated quietly, choking a little on his name.

Dawn's eyebrows shot up in surprise, but she feigned a cough and nodded. "I know it hasn't been conventional, and I _know_ you said that you're ready for this, but are you absolutely sure?''

May fidgeted, squirming in her seat a little as she replied, "If I'm being completely honest, I don't think I'm ever going to be okay with any of this. I'll never not have regrets but I've long since accepted that there's nothing I can do anymore. What I can do is keep on living. "

Against her better judgement, pity welled up within her. May had spent every second trying to push the past to the back of her mind, because even though Drew hadn't been physically present he was always there in the back of her mind. Things like that weren't easy to forget, and if she could not forget then she would ignore.

"I still can't believe he's actually here," Dawn admitted. Of all places to be, Viridian City was never where she'd imagined seeing him again.

"You're telling me," May muttered. "I thought I'd be able to move on from all of this with the wedding and all but I just- I mean seeing him yesterday, it just brought everything back. Made everything so much more _real_."

Dawn knew that May had more bad days than good. She hadn't just gained a broken heart in place of the life she'd left behind, but the baby on top of everything else... Even though it'd never been born, Dawn felt for the child just as much as she did for May and Drew. If it weren't for Brendan, she wasn't sure May would even be here today.

"Do you think we'll run into him again?" May whispered.

"It's possible," Dawn admitted, twirling a strawberry in some chocolate before popping it into her mouth. She wasn't sure how else to answer. Lying certainly wouldn't do any good, especially not after they'd gone out of their way to make sure Brendan remained oblivious to everything.

May didn't answer for a few moments, hardly seeming to pay attention to reality. Dawn knew that she wasn't present, stuck in a dark place inside her mind that only she could reach; it would be useless to try pulling her out when the demons living there were ones she needed to fight on her own. When she finally returned, she appeared lost, confused.

"I don't know if that would be such a bad thing," Dawn confessed after moments of silence.

May stiffened. "What do you mean?"

"I'm not sure that you're ready," Dawn replied carefully, rushing to continue when she saw her friend about to object, "but you won't ever let this go without closure. If Drew is here then maybe you should take the opportunity to try and talk to him, even if it doesn't fix things between you.''

May began to look physically ill.

Brendan thought the best thing for her would be to just ignore the topic completely, but May was meant to be marrying him and right now all she could think about was Drew. It wasn't healthy. Neither was the fact that she'd been stewing in a mess of her own making for _years_ now. Thin ice could only hold them all up for so long and she could see that May was struggling to keep herself above water.

Someone had to say it, and Dawn had accepted that if she didn't then nobody was ever going to.

"He's here."

Spinning around in her seat just in time to see the look of pure horror overcome May's face, Dawn came to the conclusion that there might not be much of a choice. Sure enough, clear as day, Drew bloody Hayden was right here in the store.

He was leaning against the counter in a relaxed manner, both palms flat against the surface with his lips curled into a boyish smile as he conversed with Leaf. Ignorant to her presence, Drew was the picture of calm; the complete opposite to what May was clearly feeling. Turning back to the latter, Dawn couldn't stop the worry the blossomed in the pit of her stomach. The poor girl looked conflicted; broken and scared; hopeful and helpless. She had no idea what to do.

Dawn couldn't protect May. Not this time. Not with sugar-coated words nor poison-tipped insults. She barely had time to process the feeling before she felt something being shoved into her hands, and glanced up to see May practically climbing across the table.

"Put this on your finger," May demanded, gesturing to the item while flicking her eyes back up to where Drew and Leaf were standing. Looking down, Dawn was more than confused to discover that the item in question was none other then her engagement ring. What in the name of Arceus was May doing?

"What?" Dawn asked. "Why are you giving me your r-"

"Shush!" May cut in hurriedly, "Dawn, please. Just put it on. For me?"

Dawn looked in her eyes and saw nothing but pure desperation. After a moment of debate, she reached out sceptically to pick up the ring. Glancing back up at May, Dawn slipped it onto her ring finger and tried to not shiver at how wrong it felt to be there.

"Tell me what you're doing," Dawn demanded in a whisper, ignoring the cold steel telling her how utterly ridiculous this was.

May eyed Drew again as she replied, "I have no idea, but I don't want him seeing that I'm engaged."

Dawn frowned. Why wouldn't she want Drew to know that she was engaged? It didn't make much of a difference; he was going to be pissed either way, tiny silver hoop or not. She had no doubt that it would only encourage the bitterness and resent to amplify, but all hope of a amicable reunion was halfway to Alola. Besides, for all they knew he might have a girlfriend by now.

She made a point of not mentioning that thought to May. Realistically speaking, though, it wasn't _that_ far fetched of an idea. Would he have let it go completely? No. Would he still be in love with the girl who wrecked his life? Also no.

"I hate to point out the obvious, but don't you think that ship sailed when he saw you in a wedding dress?" Dawn hissed.

May took a deep breath. "You're right. I do need to talk to him. I'm never going to be ready so this is as good as it's going to get, but I need you to do me a favour.'' May frantically looked back at Drew to make sure he hadn't seen them yet before continuing, ''I know it's crazy and stupid, but _please_.I need you to do this for me."

"May, you know I'd do almost anything for you except murder," Dawn joked, but the words felt dry on her tongue.

"I need you to pretend you're the one getting married."


	8. To Stumble and Crawl

**When editing, I came to the realisation that it's bloody obvious I wrote this as a teenager. I've tried not to change it too much, only the parts that felt... well, like they were written by a teenager. They're mostly the same, just a little more detailed so it doesn't feel as disconnected. **

**As usual, this turned into an essay and a half when going back and fixing everything. This chapter wasn't meant to be so May/Drew focused, but that's what happened and so I had to split the chapter in half. It eez what it eez.**

* * *

**Chains**

_Chapter Seven ~ To Stumble and Crawl_

Drew was not in a good mood. Not by a long shot.

For starters, Solidad was so damn happy with the dress that she tasked him with following up on her wedding cake as well. The request was manageable in theory, but the store made an error- because why would anything in his life go according to plan -with the order which lead to another hour and a half arguing on the phone with them. Under normal circumstances, it'd be annoying. Under _these_ circumstances? He was pretty fucking pissed.

Being a good errand boy meant more errands. More errands apparently lead to being in charge of the cake, and _that _meant wasting his time on the phone with a clueless shop assistant.

And _then_ there was a certain image refused to disappear no matter how hard he wanted to forget.

As if the other minor inconveniences weren't enough, the events of yesterday afternoon would not stop playing through his mind. May freaking Maple in that stupid white dress seemed to be permanently burned into his brain. The more he tried to _not_ think about it the more he did. Thoughts lead to memories, memories lead to feelings, and feelings lead to a whole can of worms he didn't want to open right now. Or ever, preferably. Why did she have to be in Viridian City of all damn places?

Despite what he'd said to Solidad, Drew was aware that there was a tiny part of him that did want to see her again. It was a part that he'd done quite well ignoring. The difference was that this desire came not from love, nor because he still pined for what could have been, but because he wanted answers.

Answers to why she broke his heart. Answers to why she left everything, left _him_ behind.

Drew loathed that he still cared, but he needed to understand what caused her sudden departure all those years ago. The vision of her in a wedding dress wasn't one that had entertained his thoughts for a very long time. Least of all one that wasn't for _him_. He didn't know what bothered him more; the fact that she was getting married or that she'd successfully managed to get on with her life when he hadn't.

She never came back. Never called, never gave him a reason. Just up and left. It had broken him more than he cared to admit. He'd spent a whole year wasting his own time while she was apparently with somebody else, somebody who she was about to marry. She ruined him and he hated her for that, too. There was a lot May Maple had taught him about hate over the past few years.

But what he hated the most is how she still looked exactly as she had five years ago; hated how she looked so helpless and broken when she'd locked eyes with his own.

May was nothing short of perfect in that dress.

He hated her for that, too.

Drew wondered who he'd pissed off to finally arrived at his _new_ job in his _new_ life to see her _again_; with Dawn bloody Berlitz of all people. Of course Dawn would be here, why wouldn't she? Where there was May there was Dawn. They had always been inseparable. He didn't know whether to acknowledge that it made sense or laugh at the absurdity of it all, so he figured that he might as well just channel his hate into that as well.

Leaf, on the other hand, clearly didn't have a clue as to the war raging inside his head. Her confusion was evident when May approached them at the counter, clearly unable to hide how nervous she was while pleading for a few minutes of his time. He'd had half a mind to tell her exactly where could stick it. Unfortunately, Leaf's presence and his curiosity had gotten the better of him, which lead to his current predicament-

standing in front of May outside of Green's Beans, trying to decide whether he was going to spontaneously combust or put his fist through the front window.

Cathartic as releasing all of his pent up emotions via a glorious explosion of word vomit, he still had _some_ dignity left. With that in mind, Drew desperately clasped that last shred of rational thought and reminded himself that they were in public, which meant that despite the satisfying prospect of pettiness there was the general population of the city to keep in mind.

The only issue with this was the fact that May hadn't looked at him _once_.

"Are we going to stand here all day or do you actually have a reason for dragging me away from my job? " Drew eventually asked, not bothering to mask the bitterness that seeped into his voice. He was already doing her a favour just by agreeing to talk; if he couldn't make a scene, he could at least be somewhat spiteful.

May winced at his tone, and he momentarily regretted how harsh it sounded- a complete force of habit that loathed himself for. She didn't deserve his pity; she was the one who'd left him. Every ounce of ire was well justified. After another few moments of silence, her gaze finally met his. He didn't like what he saw in her- still so blue, still so damned open, expressive, _raw_ -eyes.

"I didn't expect to see you," May said quietly. She clutched her hands together, a nervous habit that she'd had since their school days. "I knew I had to talk to you, but I don't know where to begin."

He scoffed and looked away. "Didn't think you'd bother after disappearing without saying anything either," Drew spat.

There was too much lost time and too many things she had to be sorry for. He saw her begin to shake and tears form in her eyes, ones she was obviously trying and spectacularly failing to keep from showing. Her face always been an open book when it came to her emotions. Fighting back the feelings of guilt that threatened to wash over him, because this was May and she was everything to him, once upon a time, he waited for her response.

"I'm sorry. I didn't- I never wanted to. I'm sorry," May rushed out, and it sounded like she was almost choking on the words.

''Are you sure? Because looked pretty happy in your little fantasy land yesterday. Tell me, what's the plan this time? Will you leave him at the alter or just skip the honeymoon instead?" Drew bit back. It was a cheap shot, he knew this, but his natural defence had always been to strike first and think later.

May visibly flinched. "I-I'm not getting m-married, Drew," May stuttered. She sniffed, and he pretended not to feel the pang in his chest when a tear began to slip down her cheek. "Dawn is."

Drew ignored the way she said his name like it was water to a drought. His jaw tightened, teeth grinding together in an effort to stop himself from saying something. He didn't care. He _wouldn't_. It hadn't been him, a gut-wrenching fact he'd learned accepted that long ago. Heartbreak was never something he was familiar with back then; May had been the one to teach it to him.

"If she's expecting my congratulations then I'm going to disappoint,'' Drew sneered, adding, ''Isn't the bride-to-be usually the one wearing the wedding dress?"

She noticeably tensed. "We were there to pick her dress up. Dawn got caught in the moment, you know what she's like with those things.''

Oh, Drew definitely remembered. There had been far too many nights of his teenage years spent watching as Dawn constantly got carried away with anything even remotely girly, leaving May to be swept up in the former's impossible obsession with feminine things makeup or fashion- but he wasn't going to give May the satisfaction of agreeing with her.

Letting out a huff of annoyance, Drew contemplated delivering another unnecessary yet gratifying jab. It would be immature, sure, but he felt like it was almost owed to him to see her hurt the way he had. If his words stung, then more the better. The pain was warranted. Glancing down to her hands, he took note that she wasn't wearing a ring. The ball welling in his throat eased somewhat.

"Why are you telling me this, May?" Drew asked. Her name sounded strangled on his tongue, something he wasn't proud of because damn it, she would _know_ it affected him. May looked at him, _really_ looked at him, and for a moment her eyes shone with conflict. For a moment, it seemed as though whatever it was she wanted to say was winning, but then her mouth closed and her face fell.

"I just thought you should know,'' she whispered.

Something in Drew snapped. His face twisted into a snarl and his chest burned painfully, the latter distracting him from the way his throat was now constricting. He barely even felt his nails dig into his palms.

"You thought I should know?" Drew repeated, voice rising as all of the things he'd kept locked away began . "What about when you packed up and left without a word? When you took everything we had, all the promises we made, the years of history we shared and just fucking vanished? You didn't think I should know anything then?"

Any composure May gained vanished. "I... Drew, I didn't- I mean I couldn't..."

"Save it. Clearly it wasn't important when you decided I wasn't good enough for you," Drew spat. "I don't care. Not about you and not about Dawn, so don't give me whatever bullshit excuse you've managed to think of in the last five years. She wants wedding wishes? Then tell her I wish that I never see either of you again!''

When she dropped to her knees in a sobbing mess, he felt both pleased and disgusted with himself-

and when he managed to tear his eyes away from the woman who once meant the world to him, he ran.

* * *

May felt numb.

Hot, salty tears were pouring uncontrollably from her eyes, forming wet trails down her face and spilling onto the rough concrete beneath her knees. Her breath was coming out in strangled gasps as she twisted her pale hands around the hem of her shirt, not caring that passersby had stopped to stare.

It was as if all the events of the past three years were resurfacing at once, forcing their way to the forefront of her mind and then exploding in a mass of repressed emotions. The breakup, the baby, Brendan and everything else, all of the microscopic details she'd tried to forget in between all of that. She couldn't do it. Couldn't do _this_. Everything was her fault. She had single-handedly destroyed both her and Drew's lives.

What had she been thinking when she tried talking to him?

Of course he hated her, what else could she have possibly expected? He didn't have a reason not to. She deserved his hatred, deserved all of the malice that dripped in his words and clenched around her heart. She shouldn't be feeling like this, didn't have the right to act like she was the victim here. Drew was right.

But Christ, knowing all of this did nothing to stop the pain twisting in her gut.

"May! Oh my goodness, May!'' Dawn's voice broke through the thoughts swirling through her brain. ''May, what happened? What did he say?"

Through the shaking and the tears and the utter anguish May was in, her words came out unintelligible bursts, "Drew. H-Hates me- Brendan... b-baby. Doesn't- Don't d-deserve... love h-him."

She felt Dawn kneel down beside her and begin rubbing comforting circling on her back. There words being spoken, softly and soothing in contrast to everything happening inside her head, but she heard none of them. All May could think about was Drew and the way he'd looked at her, the way it broke her to see it.

"He was wrong, May. You allowed to be happy. You deserve to love Brendan," Dawn said gently, tilting her friend's face up to look at her.

"Drew," May choked out.

Dawn frowned. "You don't deserve to love..." Dawn trailed off, expression changing into one of sympathy as the pieces fell into place. _Oh_. So that's what May meant; she was still in love with Drew. She hated herself for breaking him and for still wanting what they had, for daring to dream of having what she'd shattered.

"He hates me," May whimpered through broken sobs. "I still- I never stopped... I love him and he can barely l-look at me. Brendan needs- Brendan should hate me. I hate me, too."

"That isn't true. Shh, I need you to breathe for me, May. Just breathe. It'll be okay," Dawn quietly soothed, tracing lines down her friend's back.

May wished she could believe her. She ruined everything she touched, even Brendan. Amazing, sweet, innocent Brendan, who was unable to see her as anything less than perfect. She didn't deserve him, either. She was going to ruin him as well, just like she ruined everything else. He did all he could for her, put his life on hold for a girl that burned anything she came across.

After some time, May's shaking lessened and her breathing became more regulated. "I'll never be able to fix things,'' May whispered. ''We could have been happy. We _were_ happy, we were in love and it was all I'd ever wanted but I was so stupid. He'll never... Drew will never even know about- Why don't you hate me as well?''

"May, I will never hate you," Dawn told her reassuringly.

May went rigid, fixing her eyes directly on Dawn's. "Fix things, Dawn. Make them right before you can't anymore. With Gary. Do it while you still can.''

Dawn paused and her breath caught in her throat. Her problem with Gary was different, _so_ much different. Even if he were to never forgive her, to cut her out of his life and never speak to her again, their conflict still wouldn't be as heavy as the history between May and Drew. Her own obliviousness and emotional ignorance caused her to hurt Gary. It wasn't the same. They weren't in love, it was completely one-sided.

With a pang, she realised May was right. Gary _loved her_. It would never compare to the love Drew and May once shared, but it was love all the same. She couldn't let her and Gary end up like this. She refused to.

When Dawn didn't say anything, May continued, "I overheard the phone call to professor Rowen. Gary is here and I'm a mess, I know I am, but he matters too. _You_ matter."

"May..." Dawn bit her lip. "Gary doesn't want to see me. He made that clear. He needs time and-"

"He still loves you. He was hurt so he ran, you've done the same thing,'' May argued, cutting her off.

Dawn winced at the reference of her ex-boyfriend, and ignored the discomfort in her chest. There was too much at stake for her to let her fear get in the way. Feelings or not, he was still one of her closest friends. She wouldn't let her own stupidity make her lose that. May watched as her longtime friend hesitated, and pulled out her phone.

She knew what was running through her head, what it was like to think that you were doing them a favour in giving them space; Letting them go because you thought you were doing the right thing. In reality you only hurt them more. Dawn would be fine, she would recover and get on with her life. Gary, though... May was scared that Gary would end up like her.

* * *

Misty eyed the couple arguing outside the shop. It'd been an interesting- emotional and borderline horrific -spectacle, and certainly the last thing she'd expected to witness so early in the morning. She had never really been one for gossip, but when every single person in the coffee shop turned their attention to the scene, it was hard not to watch. Even Leaf, someone who was almost less inclined to pay attention to gossip and relationship drama, seemed to be intrigued. Well, concerned.

Between the glass muffling what they'd been saying and the typical sound of bustling Viridian traffic, nobody could actually tell what they were fighting about. Then everything went to shit. The boy started yelling; the girl dropped to her knees in tears; he turned with what seemed to be an apologetic glance in their general direction and took off.

"May!" A girl cried out from somewhere within the store, seemingly not caring that all eyes instantly flitted her way as she shot out of her chair and ran outside.

Misty blinked a few times then let out a low whistle. "Talk about drama, the poor thing," she commented.

"No kidding.'' Leaf nodded in agreement, slowly pulling her gaze from the two girls outside. "Nice girls, they were in here yesterday. The brown-haired one, May, I think her name is? She seemed pretty upset. Come to think of it, I guess that was probably about Drew as well."

Misty cocked her head. "Drew?"

"The guy that just ran off. Green hair," Leaf explained, nodding her head towards the window. "He got here a couple of days ago and has been helping me out."

Misty let out a long sigh. There seemed to be commotion with couples everywhere she looked, something that was beginning to make her quite sour. Speaking of, she still hadn't decided on what she was going to do about Ash. Keeping him in the dark forever was impossible, not to mention cruel, but things were going well and he seemed so happy to see her again. That would all be ruined if he found out she was marrying Rudy.

Selfish as it may be, she wasn't ready to let that go. Not yet. She wasn't ready to look him in the eye and watch everything fall apart.

"Speaking of couples and drama," Misty started, a wicked grin on her lips as she leaned over the counter to stare her friend straight in the eye, "A little birdy mentioned that you're keeping something from a certain mutual friend of ours. Maybe you know him? Tall, brunet, devilishly good-looking and shares his surname with a tree?"

The brunette choked on air, letting out a small yelp when she lost her grip on the mug she'd been cleaning and it clattered against the counter. Misty's grin widened, a little smug, a little victorious, as she watched her friend struggle to maintain her composure. When Leaf regained the ability to grasp the mug without trembling, she met Misty's gaze and swallowed thickly.

"T-That's not... I'm not, I mean he-," Leaf stammered, the tips of her ears turning red.

Misty broke out laughing, and waved a dismissive hand as she said, "I won't say anything, you have my word. You might want to think of something to tell Ash, though."

"It's not like I want to pretend," Leaf began cautiously. She bit her lip, twirling a strand of hair around her left pointer finger. "But he doesn't recognise me, and if he knew who I really was he won't want anything to do with me."

"Because you were the one who stopped talking to him, right?" Misty questioned, answer confirmed when Leaf looked down in shame. "You liked him back then."

Leaf's face instantly reddened, and she felt slightly bad for putting her on the spot. Matters of the heart were never easily dealt with or spoken of, especially in cases where it didn't work out- she knew that feeling all too well. What made matters worse is that they'd never even gotten to try. Leaf had kept her feelings a secret, so while there was nothing lost from being rejected, the whimsical notion of 'what could have been' would always be there.

"You don't need to explain anything to me. You had feelings for him and he left. You did what you had to do to protect yourself; I did the same thing for Ash," Misty assured her.

Leaf sighed, knowing that they were relatively similar even though their reasons were for protection were different. She did it for herself, because Gary went and fell in love with somebody else. Misty did it for Ash's sake. It'd hurt him, sure, but it would've hurt him a whole lot more had he been waiting for somebody who was in another region.

"I'll tell him eventually," Leaf said softly. "It's easier this way. As Green, we're just strangers and no strings. As Leaf, we're two people with a history that comes with a whole lot of baggage."

Misty sent her a look of pity, but she could hardly judge. If Leaf was comfortable and Gary was happy in ignorance then there wasn't anything that gave anybody else the right to interfere. As long as Gary remained ignorant she would stay out of their business and keep Ash away, too. Unexpected appearances had a way of opening old wounds. Thought Leaf had years to heal, she hadn't had to do that with Gary shoved in her face.

"I have no interest in meddling. Ash, on the other hand... I'll do my best to keep him from asking questions but you're going to need to think of something to tell him," Misty pointed out, unable to stop feeling like a hypocrite.

Leaf gave a solemn nod. "I will, I promise. I'll tell him eventually. He just won't understand, and I can't lie to him forever.''

''You won't need to,'' Misty said, unable to stop the dreaded taste of guilt on her tongue. She glanced down at her watch, eyes widening when she saw the time. ''Shit! I've gotta go, Leaf. Catch up soon!''

She reached out and snatched a chocolate chip cookie, ignoring Leaf's protests when she chucked some loose coins on the counter as payment before scooting out of the store. The bell above the door let off its usual _ding_, and she immediately switched directions when she saw that the brunette was still on the ground, sniffling and her friend was comforting her.

Misty did not want to get involved. Not that she had the time to, anyway; her appointment at the cake store was three and a half minutes ago. Thankfully, it wasn't too hard to find. Upon entering the store, Misty was instantly cloaked in the pleasant aroma of freshly baked goods-

the only thing disrupting the ambience was the presence of a less than pleased man arguing with the lady behind the register.

"What do you _mean_ you don't know when I can pick it up?" He argued, leaning forward and slamming his palms down on the cream-coloured counter. His green hair appeared to be dishevelled, and if the tone of his voice was anything to go by- wait a minute. She knew this man.

"You're the guy from the coffee shop!" Misty blurted without thinking, her eyes going wide in realisation. He snapped around to fix her with a glare of animosity. Upon taking in her appearance, he seemed to relax slightly but continued eyeing her with a 'who the hell are you' look before replying.

''And I have no idea who you are. Do you always yell when meeting someone new?'' He questioned sarcastically.

Her cheeks began to burn. Really, at twenty-two years of age you'd think she'd have better control of her mouth. The man was tapping his foot impatiently, clearly not amused with her interrupting his conversation with the cashier. What was his name again? Stu? Gru?

"I'm a friend of Leaf's. Misty Waterflower," Misty explained awkwardly, not bothering to elaborate for fear of saying something stupid.

"Drew Hayden. We have a common interest then," Drew remarked. His features softened slightly at the mention of Leaf, but he didn't seem to be any less irritated. Turning back to the flustered assistant he'd previously been engaged with, his expression became icy once more.

The assistant, however, was glad for the distraction. "Miss Waterflower! It's lovely to see you again. I do apologise however, there's been a slight hiccup with your order," she chimed- Serena Gabena, assistant manager, according to her name badge.

Drew eyed her in disbelief. "A _slight_ hiccup? A slight hiccup would be icing the cake the wrong colour. You've completely ruined both orders," he snapped.

Serena shifted uncomfortably, eyes darting back and forth between her and Drew. Wait. What did he mean by 'both orders'? Had something happened to her cake? Panic began to swell in her stomach. What if it wasn't ready in time for the wedding? This would interfere with so many other plans. Preparations had to be strictly exact otherwise something else could be pushed behind. It wasn't like she could just reschedule her _wedding_ date, after all.

"What's going on?" Misty demanded, frantically looking at Serena for answers.

Serena appeared to be overwhelmed but desperately tried to retain her composure. "I'm very sorry, this has never happened before. We have several stores across the regions, however all of our orders are transferred to the main branch in Kalos. It appears as though there has been a unique malfunction causing a glitch in the system, so all orders withing the last three weeks have been misplaced- unfortunately, that includes both of yours."

Misty was dumbfounded. The entire reason she'd picked this business was specifically because of their well-known reliability and quality.

"How is this possible?" Misty asked, voice now laced with just as much annoyance as Drew's. Her nerves were beginning to rise and alarm was starting to settle in. She _needed_ this cake. How was she supposed to have a wedding without a wedding cake? It was impossible. She might as well not even have a dress!

"We're still looking into exactly what caused the issue, but so far it just looks like a major technical mishap," Serena elaborated as best she could.

Drew clicked his tongue in annoyance. "And what exactly does that mean for us?"

Serena smiled weakly. "I'm afraid that while our head office is dealing with the problem there isn't much we can do. All we can do is inform our clients and wait for the issue to be resolved,'' she admitted.

Misty felt lightheaded. She didn't know how to respond; she hadn't missed when Serena told Drew that there was no estimate on when he'd be able to pick the cake up. Now, on top of her ex-boyfriend being in town, dealing with Paul suddenly taking an interest in her love life like the pushy bastard he was, and keeping Leaf's identity from one of her best friends, her cake was going to be nonexistent.

Wonderful.

She pinched the bridge of her nose. "And what exactly are we meant to do until everything is resolved?" Misty asked.

Serena looked sheepish. "You are both more than welcome to withdraw your orders. We will provide a full refund on your deposits due to the fault being on our end, but otherwise there isn't anything further I can do for either of you."

Drew scoffed. "Right. I highly doubt I'll even be alive to make that particular call when the bride-to-be finds out," he muttered.

Misty took a moment to consider his words. Drew wasn't the one getting married? So he was only here on an errand. That made sense at least, and she assumed that seeing as he'd only been here a short while the cafe job was temporary. Well, at least something made sense in her hurricane of a life.

He sighed, running a hand through strangely natural green hair. It was then that Misty noticed how tired his eyes looked, and the way his face fell for a split second- it reminded her of heartbreak. Her thoughts drifted back to the coffee shop. Her shoulders tensed at the idea, at the knowledge that maybe he was using his frustration as a shield.

Serena fidgeted nervously before saying, "I'll go out the back and make a few calls to see if there have been any updates.''

With that she wasted no time in hurrying out of the room, no doubt eager to get away from their tempers and bombardment of questions. Misty groaned and eyed Drew, as if somehow knowing that she wasn't the only one stuck in this shitstorm of a situation made it a _tiny_ bit better to cope with. If the vein on his neck was anything to go by, his mood was far from cordial.

"So, you aren't the one getting hitched then," Misty stated, attempting to ease some of the tension.

"No, I most definitely am not," Drew answered. His expression remained unchanged and obviously miffed, but she didn't miss the way his nose scrunched up at the mention of marriage.

For a moment, she opened her mouth to tell him that at least he had that as a positive, but promptly shut it straight away as a chill crawled up her spine. If Drew was friends with Leaf then it was likely that she'd hear about this. Chances are he'd tell her about herself being around too. If Leaf knew then she'd have to explain everything, and essentially end up with another Paul on her hands.

Damn it. Damn it all to hell. Screw Paul's commentary and her current emotional turbulence, all of that was going to be the least of her worries if Leaf found out; she'd be Team Ash one-hundred and ten percent and there was no talking her way out of this one.

Briefly, she considered the option of using Leaf's own secret as leverage, but quickly dismissed the thought. This wasn't some high school drama. Secrets did not work like that. Besides, she had enough on her plate right now and the less people that knew about this wedding the better. So, biting her bottom lip and conjuring up her courage, Misty did what she'd been doing a lot of lately.

She lied.


End file.
